Chronicles of the Blade
by GnomeBob
Summary: A man who conditioned himself to always be manly logs into Royal Road for the first time seeking adventure. At the advice of a friend, he makes the choice to forge a unique path and does so with a unique race. In doing so he begins a series of unfortunate events that lead to a never before lived adventure the likes of which no one has ever experienced. Legendary Moonlight Sculptor
1. Vol1 Ch1 The Long Awaited World

Chapter 1

This is the story of an idiot by the name of Don. He was by no means stupid, but throughout his life he stubbornly stuck to a single principle. Be a man. Now this may seem harmless at first, but his definition of manly was whatever action was the exact opposite of cowardice. In the 4th grade when he saw a 6th grader picking on his little sister during lunch, he decided the manliest course of action was to pick up a chair and smash it against the bully's back. During a high school field trip into the wilderness he decided the manliest thing to do was explore the wilds on his own. He was found five days later. When Don was challenged, he would never back down. When he saw a fight, he would jump in, regardless of whether or not he knew any of the people fighting.

Needless to say this code of conduct got him into nothing but trouble. There was however a reason for such foolhardiness. When Don was eight, his seven year old sister fell into a river and was dragged away by the current. Don knew she didn't know how to swim but he didn't know either. He did nothing but stand there, afraid to do anything. Fortunately his sister was recovered half a mile away with only a broken leg, but to this day she still walks with a slight limp, something Don blamed himself for due to his inability to act. To ensure he never froze up like that again, he decided to condition himself for bravery. The best way to do so was to stick to his rule in all possible circumstances regardless of the consequences.

After high school he started college. He was an undeclared major at a community college trying out different things while working at an electronics store.

His manager said, "Donald, I need you to do inventory. Finish before leaving, ok?"

"Yes sir," he answered. Inventory meant he was to record how much unsold merchandise they had in the store, something that took hours, even for a small store like the one he worked at. The store specialized in video game and console repair. Don didn't play video games much, but he could intuitively understand how something worked after taking it apart. He could fix almost anything and was a valued employee.

Don checked off various amounts of computer components and basic hardware parts from the shelves onto a clipboard. It wasn't something you could use to build a supercomputer, it was more like stuff for hobby projects like build your own robot.

Besides electronic parts, batteries, cheap cell phones and various chargers, the back of the store was where advertising billboards that came out whenever something was on sale were stored. The largest of which was a full sized mock up of a armored warrior wielding a greatsword looking fierce, an advertisement for the virtual reality game that came out two years prior, Royal Road.

Don wasn't that much of a gamer, but he was a die hard RR fan, despite never having played before. At home when he wasn't studying he was on his computer, looking up the latest information of RR or looking through various hall of fame videos on the internet. His sister called him crazy but his favorite video was of the first person perspective of a man who spent hours hitting a scarecrow at a training hall. Any lesser man would not have been able to spend endless hours doing something so mind numbing, Don felt only a real man could perform such a feat. On the comments below the video, one explained that the user in the video was gaining extra stats by hitting a scarecrow for a month. Things like this spurred Don to look for any additional information he could on Royal Road, he was as much of an expert as he could be without playing it.

There were other VR games besides Royal Road of course. There was Universe, a sci-fi game where you could explore planets, fight alien races, and try to conquer it all with fleets of starships. Or for something smaller there was Desert Gun, a shooter game that had every type of firearm imaginable as well as a few unique vehicles, it took place in a vast wasteland filled with monsters and secrets. One VR game that gained popularity for a while was Hero, the game where you could become a super powered hero or an evil super powered villain. But none of these VR games ever gained the popularity Royal Road had. The AI that powered Royal Road was unique among unique, the programming was decades ahead of its time and gave the game's quests, NPCs, maps, dungeons, and adventures a degree of quality that no other game could match. That and the price was the best for the package. Universe technically had more to offer than Royal Road but all those worlds meant more servers to run it and more servers mean a higher price tag to play. Desert Gun wasn't a bad game but the players who relied on the auto assist for targeting were always slaughtered by those who could do it by instinct. Unless the player was gifted, most grew bored with getting shot repeatedly by snipers from a thousand yards out.

Don finished cataloging everything half an hour before quitting time. Immediately after he went to a back area to look at the capsule stored there. A capsule was the full immersion hardware for all VR games.

Eugine, the man he worked with caught him staring at it and said, "Will I be the best man at your wedding?" Don rolled his eyes. His friend knew that Don had that capsule on layaway for the past six months. Paying for college and his share of an apartment as well as the cost of living spent almost all his pay each month. What little he had left was enough to pay for a monthly subscription to play royal road, but it was not enough to buy a capsule even if he saved for a year. What he had done was use the store's money to buy a broken capsule someone brought in, then fix it up himself and buy it using a layaway plan. His manager approved doing so but Don wouldn't be able to take it home until the final payment was taken out of his check. And since it was the end of the month, that would happen at the end of this shift.

Don said, "You can be the flower girl." Eugine tried to slug Don's shoulder but even without looking back Don dodged and walked around saying, "Not today man." Eugine smiled and said, "Start out in Haven kingdom and I'll show you who's the man."

Eugine's parents bought him a capsule months ago so he was already playing Royal Road. And as any friend would, he never let an opportunity pass to rub it in Don's face. Don's parent had actually offered to buy one for him like they had for his sister, but he declined on the grounds a real man should not rely on others.

Eugine asked, "So what race you gonna choose?"

Don said, "Don't know yet, Barbarian, Dwarf, maybe Orc."

"Those are so common. You're an expert on Royal Road, so why not do try to do something no one has done before."

Don thought on it for a bit. He had wanted to become a powerful warrior, but a Barbarian Warrior was not exactly an original concept. "What do you suggest?" he asked.

"How about an elf?"

Don sighed, and after a moment said, "Besides playing as an actual woman, that is about as far from manly as one can go."

Eugine smiled, "And that is why you should do it. Think of it as a challenge. The path to make a manly elf isn't something most people would take. You may end up walking a unique path."

Don felt slightly annoyed with how easily Eugine was able to push his buttons. But that didn't make his point any less valid. Of course Don didn't want a cookie cutter adventure, he wanted something that was his own.

"I'll think about it," was his answer.

When his shift was over and his paycheck through, he got the OK to take the capsule home. He had already borrowed his roommate's van to drive to work that day so he could load the capsule himself instead of paying to have it delivered.

Of course since his roommate wasn't there he would have to carry the thing to the second story of this apartment on his own. After an exhausting thirty minutes carefully navigating it up the stairs and through his barely large enough door, he successfully got it inside and in full working order. After plugging it in and setting it to run a self diagnostic he called up Unicorn Inc. to get an account. The whole thing took less time than he thought, the diagnostic still had another twenty minutes before being completed.

Of course he could have plugged and played but he didn't want to take any chances, he would make sure the capsule was working at 100% before going into Royal Road. He decided to take a short walk around his apartments. The brisk air was refreshing and the moon was bright. Although it was the end of the month it was in fact a full moon, the second one that month. After he felt the chilling wind against his bones he decided that walking around at night without shoes and socks was not the wisest decision so he hurried back to his apartment.

As he walked back inside his cell phone went off, for a moment he was worried it was Unicorn Incorporated telling him something was wrong but a quick glance at the caller ID calmed his nerves, it was just his sister.

-Hey Lisa.

-Did you start yet?

His sister was also aware today was the day he got a capsule.

-Not yet, I will in another minute though.

-Oh good, start in Hiritol, Trisden kingdom.

-Is that where you are?

-Yea, I wanna show you around.

Don knew Hiritol was a recently discovered city in Trisden Kingdom. Trisden was on the eastern frontier, south of Rosenheim, east of the central part of the continent. It wasn't a bad place to start but Don always tried to be independent in any situation and starting where she was implied relying on her. That being said, he always had difficulty saying no to his little sister.

-Is there a training hall there?

-Yes, yes, there's one of those here.

-Alright I'll start there.

-Ok, see you there, all noobs login at the same spot their first time so I'll be waiting there for you.

-Ok, see you soon. During the call he heard the tell tale Ding* that signaled the diagnostic went fine. He jumped in the capsule, closed the top, and waited for it to start.

_Connect to Royal Road?_

_ Yes|No _

He answered, "Yes."

_-The scan on your iris and vein has determined that you are an unregistered user. Do you want to create a new account? _

"Yes."

_-Select the name of your Avatar _

"Don."

-_Select your gender from male, female or __neutral_

"Male"

_-Royal Road has forty-nine races. You may select your race from the primary thirty-two races that are currently available_.

'Thirty-two?' Don thought. He had of course kept himself up to date on Royal Road's race selection availabilities and he knew there to be only thirty-one races available at the time, meaning another race he was unaware of was currently available for selection.

"View Selection."

A ring of races appeared before him he could scroll through. Each one bore the appearance of what he would look like as that race along with a small description of the race's features.

"View initial Stats."

Another window appeared along with the image of each race. When a player starts a character, that character has fifty stat points. What those stats were and how they were distributed was dependent on the race chosen.

_[Human Initial Status Window] _

_Health 100 Mana 100 _

_Strength 10 Agility 10 _

_Wisdom 10 Intellect 10_

_ Vitality 10 Luck 0 _

_Leadership 0 _

_Attack 2 Defense 0 _

_Humans have a wide variety of possibilities, with no real specialty. _

Humans were a nice round race, they could be warriors or mages, thieves or archers, or anything really. A good race for those who haven't decided what they wanted to be. Don flicked the ring of races, letting it come to a stop on its own where it landed on Dark Dwarf.

_[Dark Dwarf Initial Status Window] _

_Health 90 Mana 100 _

_Strength 8 Agility 9_

_Wisdom 9 Intellect 12_

_ Vitality 12 Charisma 0 _

_Leadership 0 _

_Attack 2 Defense 0 _

_Dark Dwarves are a subclass of dwarf. They are not as strong but they have a great talent in magic. Dwarves start out with the Handicraft skill, are unable to ride a horse, and cannot reach above advanced in weapon masteries regardless of class. _

Dark Dwarves were an interesting race, they could not go head to head against an elf in magic power but they made a good base for a swordmage class.

Don slowly rolled the cursor over each race, looking at its traits and stats, not only to get familiar with each, but to find this thirty-second available class. This list had, Orc, Half-orc, Gnome, Fairy, Barbarian, Halfling, Ekril, these were all races whose availability he already knew of. Finally he got to the elf selection.

_[Wood Elf Initial Status Window] _

_Health 80 Mana 120 _

_Strength 8 Agility 12 _

_Wisdom 12 Intellect 10_

_Vitality 8 Affinity to Nature 0_

_ Leadership 0_

_ Attack 2 Defense 0_

_ Wood Elves have the greatest respect for nature, their bodies are not the strongest but they have the greatest connection to the natural world of any race. _

_[High Elf Initial Status Window]_

_ Health 80 Mana 120 _

_Strength 8 Agility 12_

_ Wisdom 11 Intellect 11_

_ Vitality 8 Affinity to Nature 0_

_ Leadership 0 _

_Attack 2 Defense 0 _

_High Elves pride themselves on their magic and bowman skills. Though weak in body they have a high potential for many forms of long distance combat. _

_[Lunar Elf Initial Status] _

_Strength 9 Agility 11 _

_Wisdom 11 Intellect 9_

_ Vitality 10 Affinity to Nature 0_

_ Leadership 0_

_Attack 3 Defense 0 _

_Lunar elves are born with innate wanderlust. They love to explore, are adept fighters, though are not as skilled in magic as other races of elf. Lunar Elves can learn explorer skills regardless of class and have a strong connection to the heavens. Note-This race can only be chosen during the interval a blue moon, or second full moon within the same calendar month is in the sky over the region the player is registering from. _

Don almost felt his heart stop. Between High Elf and Dark Elf was the race he had never seen before, a race that was only available during a blue moon. Blue moons are not common, in fact they only happen about once every two to three years. it was entirely possible that this was the first blue moon since Royal Road came out. After checking through the other races Don was certain he would go with Lunar elf. Of course it wasn't as powerful as a Barbarian but making it stronger would be a worthwhile challenge.

"Lunar Elf."

_ -You may alter your appearance using the index. _

Don's features as a lunar elf were shown before him. His original appearance wasn't bad, but it was fairly plain. His appearance as a lunar elf however, seemed handsome to say the least. His hard features were made slender, his stocky body made taller, his tan skin made pale with a slight hint of bluish hue. That along with silvery white hair and piercing green eyes with minute golden specs throughout made him something that would probably attract stares.

He opened the menu to begin changing his appearance closer to his old self, but as he was doing so he remembered his sister. He thought, 'Crap, she's been waiting this whole time!' He didn't want to make her wait any longer so he said, "This appearance is fine," and started without changing it.

_-Your account has been created. Your stats and class shall be determined while you are playing Royal Road. _

_-Select a city and Kingdom you want to start._

"The City of Hiritol, Trisden kingdom."

-_Welcome to Royal Road. _

A blinding light flashed and disappeared. He could now see the world around him. He had finally made it, he was in Royal Road. Among the groups of people walking about the starting point was a little girl sitting on a bench, looking very annoyed. Don approached cautiously and said, "Hey..."

At first she looked up thinking it was someone bothering her, but slowly she recognized his features. "Don?" She said.

"Well, yea. Sorry for making you wait."

Her faced turned into one of shock at his appearance. Even a few other people started trying to catch a glimpse. "You choose an elf?" she asked.

Don explained the conversation with Eugine, as well as the story behind the Lunar Elf race.

She remained silent for a moment before asking, "Did you get anything else?"

"Like what?" He answered.

"Well, dwarves get handicraft, maybe lunar elves get a starting skill as well."

It was worth a shot to find out. Don said aloud,

"Show Skill Window."

_ [Skill Window]_

_ Light of the Heavens [Max] 00% _

_Gives a buff dependent on what celestial bodies are in the sky. _

_Duration: 2 Hours. Mana Cost: 100 _

_Can be used once per day _

After describing it his sister said, "So not just the moon, but anything? Try it out."

"Alright, Light of the Heavens."

The sun's light seemed to become insanely intense for an instant, everyone in the area noticed and winced.

_[Solar Buff]_

_ +10% Fire Affinity +10% Strength _

"Got ten percent bonus to fire affinity and strength."

"Only ten percent for a maxed skill huh," his sister assessed.

Don and his sister both made the figured that the skill's strength was dependent on the strength of the light source. The sun was long past its peak so it may be able to give much stronger buffs.

"Ok, that's enough for now. First things first, My name here is Sierra. Don't call me by my real name, what name did you choose?"

"Don."

"Typical. Ok Don, would you like to be my friend?"

_-Sierra has sent a friend request, would you like to add Sierra to your friend list?_

_ Yes|No_

Usually family members are automatically registered to a User's friend list. But Don had not registered his sister or parents as family members. It had been an attempt at independence but it hadn't work out too well. "Yes," he answered.

_-Sierra has been added to your friend list._

"Hey, can I be you friend?" A beautiful user walked up to Don wearing a flowing orange dress.

_-Lola has sent a friend request, would you like to add Lola to your friend list?_

_ Yes|No _

Don started to sweat. In the pursuit of Manliness, Don had overcome many obstacles, but this was something that had never happened before.

"Umm, well... I .. ahh.."

Three more women came up to him. "Hey there handsome, wanna be friends?"

"No, I saw him first, Be my friend."

"No! He's mine, be my friend!"

_ -Brittney has sent a friend request, would you like to add Brittney to your friend list?_

_ Yes|No_

_ -June has sent a friend request, would you like to add June to your friend list? _

_Yes|No_

_ -Trish has sent a friend request, would you like to add Trish to your friend list? _

_Yes|No _

Don was short on breath, it wasn't exactly that he was shy around women, it was that he had no confidence in being able to talk to them.

"Ehh, well, you see.. I ah.. Don't know any of you so.. please... ahh..." He was practically whispering near the end.

His sister grabbed his hand and started running. He frantically followed, though his shortness of breath from attempting to talk made him slow. After a few minutes they stopped so Don could catch a breath.

Sierra gave him a, 'that's what you get for making me wait' look before cracking up. She said, "Was that the first time a beautiful women asked you to become her friend?"

Don gave a grimace. His current girlfriend that took him half a year to ask out was homely. Not unattractive, but you'd never see her on the cover of a magazine. With his plain face and stocky build, his original appearance never gave him this kind of problem. He had no experience what so ever, and his sister seemed to enjoy it.

Don denied the friend requests and thanked Sierra for helping.

She exclaimed, "Ok, lets go explore the city!"

But Don had to stop her here. "Wait a moment. I can't rely on you completely. I'll be free to chat of course but I would like to start at the training hall for now."

Don expected his sister to be upset but she sighed and said, "How did I know you were going to say that..." Sierra took out a large sack and handed it to Don saying, "You are not allowed to refuse, this is enough food to last until you can leave the city and hunt for yourself."

Don took the sack and thanked his sister graciously, after which she showed him to the training hall. Don stood before the massive building, his hands shaking with anticipation. This was it, this is where his adventure would begin.


	2. Vol1 Ch2 The Manly Training

Volume 1 Chapter 2 The Manly Training

Don entered the training hall, it was filled with hundreds of unattended scarecrows in rows and columns. Immediately he was greeted by the instructor, a great, bearded barbarian. The man started up, "Young adventurer, I presume you-... An elf? An elf in my training hall?"  
After getting a good look at Don the instructor said, "I've seen many adventurers in my day, but this is the first time an elf has passed through these doors. With the exception of the ones who choose to be dual wielding rangers, most elves don't rely on swords, and those who do never take the effort to train them up."

Don said, "Yes sir. You'll find I am different from those half hearted elves, I came here with the intention of completing basic training program."

The barbarian took another good look at Don, not his physique, but his eyes, and the commitment within them. "HA!" He yelled, "That I would like to see. Very well, take any scarecrow and strike him in anyway you want. There are wooden swords in front of each."

Don looked at the scarecrows and asked himself, what was the manliest way to do this training?  
Well, the most cowardly way would be the easiest, softly striking each scarecrow with only enough effort to barely complete the training. The opposite of that was to give 200%, go over the top and strike it as hard as possible as fast as possible. Just like the man he saw in his favorite hall of fame video. But he wanted to do more, what the instructor had said about elves who use swords gave him an idea. He asked, "Sir, would it be ok to use two swords? One in each hand?"

The barbarian nodded and said, "Of course. However doing so will not diminish the amount amount of time it takes to complete the training, only make it more difficult. That being said, when your agility rises you will likely generate the skill, Dual Wield. Of course that skill is only useful if you actually intend to use two weapons to fight."

"Thankyou, and one more, thing, can I use more than one unoccupied scarecrow?"

"You mean attack several at once?"

"Yes sir."

"Hmmm, not out here, but follow me."

The instructor lead Don to a small area in the back that had a several scarecrows much closer together. "This is where my students practice fighting against numbers. This was what you had in mind right?"

"Yes sir, thankyou."

The instructor nodded and said, "Practice hitting while moving between enemies to get the best experience." Then he returned to the entrance.

Don started beating the scarecrow, trying to get used to the feeling of the swords in his hands as well as figure out a good pattern to strike with two swords. After about an hour he figured he had a decent four strike pattern and started moving around and between scarecrows. The group was arranged irregularly so how far he had to move between scarecrows was not fixed.

Don's will was not made of iron, if it was he would not have looked up to the man in the video so much. To prevent the onset of severe boredom Don regularly changed up his striking pattern and tried various steps while moving between the dummies. By changing back and forth he got a good feel of how to strike to get the hardest impact.

Ding*

_New Skill: You have learned Sword Mastery_

After learning a weapon mastery skill the damage that a weapon of that type did increased as the mastery increased. So it went on for hours. Don decided to practice in a certain way and did so until he go horribly bored, after which he switched a variable and practiced again, trying to determine which method was the best. Six hours in he got his first stat bonus.

Ding*

_Strength increased by 1. (+1STR)_

Don was tired of course but as soon as he received the message he felt the wooden swords become lighter, he actually felt it. Don tried all the steps and strike patterns again, starting back from his basics to see how the increased strength affected anything and whether or not he should adjust his fighting style to something he couldn't use now but would be effective when his stats increased.

He kept fighting and thinking about more ways to fight differently. When he couldn't think of anything else he would hit a lone scarecrow until he got bored then start back up with the varied practice.

Fourteen hours after starting he heard his stomach roar. He had been ignoring it for the past two hours but he felt his strength leave him as his satiety plummeted. He stopped his onslaught to look through the bag his sister had left him. The first thing he noticed was a note.

_-There is a water fountain a few streets over from the entrance. The yellow herbs restores stamina so you don't have to take as many breaks, the food increases the rate stamina regenerates and lowers the rate satiety decreases. Good luck brother._

_-Love Sierra_

Don silently thanked his sister again for her thoughtfulness. He ate the bread and cheese stored inside and got back to work.

After twenty hours he got a message he had been expecting since starting.

_Vitality increased by 1 (+1 VIT)_  
_Agility increased by 1. (+1 AGI)_  
_New Skill: You have learned Dual Wield_

After his agility reached 15 he obtained the rumored skill. After swinging around a bit the difference was substantial. His movements while swinging both swords became smoother and easier to use. Don was thankful, this would give him more things to practice with, but not tonight.

Don had logged in around 9pm, and since then five hours had passed. He had a full day of work tomorrow and needed some sleep. Luckily his college had just gotten out for the summer and he elected not to do any summer classes.

At 10am Don got to work, his roommate had been out all night so he hadn't seen him on the way out. Eugine wouldn't come in till 2pm so for now it was Don, the manager Tomas, and another employee Phoebe. The manager asked Don, "How'd the capsule work out?"

Tomas was the manager who approved of Don's use of store funds to buy the broken capsule under the condition Don paid for it on layaway. Tomas knew Don was good with fixing things but even he had doubts about whether or not Don would succeed.

"Yes, the capsule was in perfect working order, ran a diagnostic before playing and it came out green."

Tomas showed a mildly impressed and pleased look, as well as something mischievous, before nodding and saying, "Impressive work. For today you're on the register. Phoebe will be taking over for logging yesterday's inventory and answering calls."

"Yes sir."

To Don no matter what he did it would seem interesting. Compared to the monotony of hitting a scarecrow for hours anything he did would seem like the most entertaining activity of his life. After a few hours a blonde woman walked in and said, "Excuse me, does this place buy broken capsules?"

Don took in a deep breath. He had a momentary flashback to what happened in RR and needed to calm himself. After that a moment of clarity as to what his manager was thinking about was revealed. Don said, "One moment."

Don went to confirm his suspicions. He went to Tomas and said, "Did you advertise that this shop buys broken capsules expecting me to fix them for you to sell?"

Tomas looked up from his computer for a moment and said, "Yes, but only buy the ones you can fix cheaply."

Don decided not to comment on the absurdity of that statement before leaving. As he did he noticed the position of his manager's fingers on the keyboard. Right hand on the arrow keys, left hand on the space bar and upper left keys. His manager was playing an online game. Don rolled his eyes and went to the back of the store to get some different meters. He got Phoebe to take over the register for a moment before returning to the customer. "Show me the capsule."

The woman brought it in the back of a pickup truck. Don slowly lifted it down to where he could get to the hatch on the capsule's side. After unscrewing it he looked inside and attached the clips of some of the sensors he brought to exposed outlets. The numbers showed the capsule had a dead internal battery and if Don guessed correctly, the charger was loose. Although capsules are powered by an outlet, they also have an internal power source that recharges itself on the wall. It maintains several internal maintenance features and extends the life of the product, but if the charger that charged the battery somehow got disconnected it, would no longer charge and after sometime the maintenance features would stop. If bought it at that point it could be fixed by disassembling a bit to access the charger and reattaching it. However the capsule worked without its maintenance and unless a diagnostic was performed you'd never know. If used in that state the parts that needed maintenance would slowly degrade until they were unusable. In that case all those parts would need to be replaced.

Don explained all of this to the woman who said, "That may have happened when we dropped it a few weeks ago. After that it started acting funny and later it died completely."

Don began his sales routine. "Then it is likely that those parts are dead. The expensive parts in these things are the ones that needed the maintenance so it would probably cost more to repair than we could sell it for. I can offer you decent money for the working parts, I'll likely sell the rest for scrap.

The woman accepted and Don got the manager to come help move the thing into the back. After she left, money in hand Tomas asked, "So how much can we make off this?"

Don got some tools out and said, "Well that depends on the degradation of the parts. The part are either repairable or unusable, but I bought the thing for a price less than we can sell it for scrap as is so some will be made regardless. Give me an hour and I'll tell you what we have."

Tomas said, "Alright. I guess I'll take the register."

Don got out the select wrenches and screwdrivers for Unicorn Products. Capsules, like all of their products had unique heads to their screws and bolts that prevented people without the matching tools from accessing them. Don opened up the bottom hatch and examined each of the components, starting with the battery.

After an hours work he was satisfied with the purchase. The part that broke was relatively expensive to replace, but the other parts could be repaired cheaply. Overall it was in better shape than his own had been when he got it. Don went up to his manager and said, "Since this job doesn't fall within my original duties, I'm going to get a cut of this right?"

Tomas said, "We'll see. For now this is something of a trial run. Neither of us will see any of the profit. If the profit is large it will be put into a budget account that will be used to buy more components for future acquisitions, if small then we probably won't be allowed to buy more in the future."

Don nodded, "Alright, the price paid for the capsule and the components to repair it, as well as my own labor costs is less than half of what it can be sold for after being repaired. How you sell it is still your problem though."

Tomas said, "Alright, write up an estimated schedule for how long you think it will take you to do the repairs in separate parts. I'll change your schedule this week accordingly so you can do each of those part during your shifts."

In other words if he did it right, Don could control his own schedule, something uncommon for someone working part time.

Don arranged his schedule and afterwards was set to go work full time over the summer from 12 to 6, weekdays, and 12 to 5, weekends.

After work and a meal Don went home and took a shower. For now anyways he could spend his evenings and nights in RR. Don got into his capsule and started another day of hitting the scarecrows.

For two weeks, real world, that was Don's routine. After ten days he acquired the Fighting spirit and endurance stats. Four days later he finally acquired the long awaited message.

_Strength rises by 1. (+1 STR)_  
_Agility rises by 1. (+1 AGI)_  
_Vitality rises by 1. (+1 VIT)_  
_Fame rises by 20. (+20 FAME)_  
_Life rises by 100. (+100 HP)_

Don took a deep breath and calmly said."Show stat and skill window."

_[Status Window]_

_Avatar Don Alignment Neutral_

_Race Lunar Elf Title None _

_Level 1 Class None_

_Fame 20 Infamy None_

_Health 630 Mana 100_

_Strength 49 Agility 51_

_Wisdom 11 Intellect 9_

_Vitality 50 Affinity to Nature 0_

_Leadership 0_

_Fighting Spirit 41 Endurance 61_

_Attack 27 Defense 0_

_Magic Resistances None_

_[Skill Window]_

_Light of the Heavens [Max] 00%_  
_Gives a buff dependent on what celestial bodies are in the sky._  
_Duration: 2 Hours._  
_Mana Cost: 100_  
_Can be used once per daySword Mastery [5] 12%_  
_+50% ATK +50% ATK SPDDual Wield [3] 65%_  
_Stamina used while fighting with two weapons decreased_  
_Accuracy while fighting with two weapons increased._

When comparing fighting with one swords to fighting with two, it was more exhausting and strikes made were less accurate. The dual wielding skill made up for a bit of the difference but the skill leveled up slowly.

The instructor met with Don at the entrance  
"Good job, Don."

"Thankyou, sir."

"I didn't expect you would come so far. Yet you overcame my prejudice. I am very proud of you."

"Thankyou sir, I would not have been able to go all the way were it not for your generosity in allowing me the use of that room."

"Haha! You're absolutely right." The instructor laughed heartily.

The instructor took another good look at Don, this time with a bit of pride in his student and handed over a sword. "This sword is awarded to a man who completes the basic training programs. You have done well. I would give you two but its one per trainee."

"Thankyou sir, I'll be fine."

He nodded and said, "Have you given any thought into what class you're going to be? You'd make a fine Ranger."

Don nodded, "I'll check it out."

"Aye, make your own path."

Don left the training hall and wandered around the city. He hadn't explored yet but he knew the general layout. He knew he had to avoid at all cost the noobie spawn zone. His sister had explained to him that there are some people are so active in recruiting for their groups they send beautiful women to the spawn point to get players that look like they had potential. And with Don's unique race and looks, their were highly motivated to recruit him.

Don of course still had to decide what class he was going to be. The instructor said that he would make a good Ranger but there were other options as well. He could have just gone to an intelligence guild and asked for a fitting class but that was like running away from the problem. Don asked, What was the manliest thing to do? Well the best answer for cowardice was to go to the intelligence guild and have them pick out a class for him. The exact opposite of that would be to personally go to every class guild and check them out himself to see which seemed the manliest. He decided to do this, but only for the guilds that were physical damage combat classes, so no craft or mage guilds.

The closest was the warrior's guild. Don walked right up to the counter and said, "What is needed to become a warrior?"

"Well the quest to get the warrior class requires you to slay twenty rabbits and return here with their pelts."

Don left and moved to the next one, the quest did not seem very manly.

Like this Don went to the basic combat guilds that were the starting point of most higher tier classes. If he wanted to be a ranger, he needed to become an archer or warrior first, if he wanted to become a Knight, he needed to be a warrior first.

However none of the classes seemed manlier than the others. To be an archer one had to shoot some targets with a bow and arrow, to be a monk you had to defeat a weak opponent in a spar. Assassins were required to finish something of an obstacle course, and Kung Fu masters needed to break a cement block in one strike.

If he judged the classes by their quests then they were all about as manly as a cupcake. Don's original plan of being a warrior meant he had to kill rabbits. It wasn't that he loved cute animal or was against violence, he simply considered fighting something that was so much weaker than him unmanly.

Don was left with no other choice but to go to the Intelligence guild and see what they thought. If they didn't give him something good, he would fight classless for now.

The man at the counter said, "Good evening, what can I do for you today?"

"I need a manly class. A class that suits me."

The man looked over Don for a moment and asked him to show his stat and skill chart.  
He said, "Hmm, never seen a Lunar Elf before, not that that means much. Won't find any Elf exclusive classes in this city. Hmm.. Wait here a moment."

The man left and went to a back room for about twenty minutes before returning with a pair of books. He said, "Alright. Most people come in here off the bat and ask us what we think they would be best at. For you this seems to be more of a last resort. You're the first foreigner I've seen to come here after completing the training hall." The man set the books on the table and said, "You said manly right? Usually we decide the class and give the appropriate quest. But I'm guessing you want something appropriate to your abilities. These are two classes we don't just give to just anyone. You can choose from them and I'll give you the quest."

Don was surprised, his demand was fairly unreasonable for someone who was still level one to be asking. Before picking up the books he said, "Thankyou very much sir."

The first book was about the Hunter class. It was a variant of the ranger class that focused on higher damage and independence. The next was the blade master class, they could use any blade in combat and were experts in dealing damage. Between the two options, the blade master appealed to him more. It wasn't that he didn't want to like the hunter class, it was more that he would rather be in the front line of a party killing a boss monster than hunting lone monsters solo. Of course he still wanted to know the quests for each. After asking what they were the man said, "For the hunter you must track and capture a certain elusive creature of our choosing. For the blade master you must go to a certain dungeon and kill a few of a certain monster there. Can't give more details unless you accept the quest, and of course you can't accept more than one of them."

"Thankyou, I would like to be a blade master."

The man nodded and said, "Very well. In the mountains south of here is the tomb of the great Blade Master Bourrrick. His tomb is inhabited by Raysics. They sometimes drop a special ceremonial dagger when killed. Obtain that blade and you can convert to a Blade Master."

Ding*

_[Retrieve the Blade]_  
_Within the tomb of the Great Blade Master lies a raysic holding onto a blade. Obtain it and receive your reward._

_Difficulty: Unknown_  
_Requirement: Above average abilities_  
_Reward: Blade Master Class_

Don didn't know of the tomb but he heard that raysics were about level 50, though he didn't know what they were. If Don trained himself up some he would be able to take them.  
"I will get that blade."

You have accepted the quest.

"Good Luck."

Don left the guild and headed to another. Tombs often had traps and hazards that could instantly kill whoever tripped it. Before going to the dungeon he decided to go to the adventurer's guild to see if he could acquire some skills.

Again Don walked up to the counter of a class guild and made an absurd demand. "I would like to learn adventurer skills but I intend to choose another class."

The guy at the counter who was reading a book looked up for a moment and said, "No," before going back to reading.

Don thought, 'It seems that not all NPCs are alike.' He tried again, "Why not. I'm able to learn them."

The man looked up from his book again and said, "Talk to the guy over there."

Don looked over to a corner where an old man was sitting. Don said, "I wish to learn adventurer skills."

The old man looked at Don and said, "Hmm. Actually, we don't just teach anybody … However, if you can perform a small task, I'll think about it."

If someone wanted to learn blacksmithing without becoming a blacksmith, a trial had to be passed. The same thing went for most guilds whose classes learned useful skills. And always the trial to acquire the skill set required more than the task to become the class. Don said, "I am ready for anything."

The man nodded before saying, "Alright, this city has an extensive catacomb network beneath it. I want you to explore and map every inch of it by hand. Return with a map and I'll teach you skills based off how good it is. But be warned, there are giant rats in the catacombs that can swallow a man whole."

Ding*

_[Map The sewers]_  
_Below the city of Hiritol is a large network of tunnels and passages. By hand you must draw an accurate map and return with it."_

_Difficulty: Unknown_  
_Requirement: Able to learn adventurer skills_  
_Reward: A number of Adventurer skills determined by quality of map_

"I'll gladly accept the challenge."

_-You have accepted the quest._  
_-New Skill: You have learned Drawing_

"If you want a to make a map you'd best be able to draw. See you."

Don thanked the man and went to the sewers. He got some paper and pencils to write with, so the first thing he did was draw lines for passages. He had a good sense of direction so even when the tunnels turned slightly he noticed. He found several giant rats, they were larger than a full grown boar and nasty, each took a few hits to take down.

_-You have leveled up!_

However they gave good experience, Don guessed they were about level twenty, weaker than a wolf, but stronger than a fox. With his stats and +10STR sword he was able to kill them without problem. After two days of exploring the foul smelling depths he was sure he had an accurate line map. It had all the tunnels and how they connected with each other. After finishing he took out another paper and started over. This time while going through each he made sure the line's distances were to scale and made notes of passage width, depth below the surface and small points on areas that had different colored stone. Another day and a few hundred rats later Don left the sewers back to the fresh air and found a table. He took out another sheet of paper and some different colored pens and began drawing the exact map of the underground, using different colored pens for areas of different colored stone. When finished he was satisfied. Not only did he have a respectable map but he also gotten to level 21 and found another sword as well as some pocket change.

Don confidently handed the map over to the old man who inspected it thoroughly. "Hmm.. Excellent, this will sell well." The man handed the map to the rude fellow at the counter, making Don ask, "What do you mean?"

He answered, "Well, adventurer guilds often sell maps to people. There are quite a few quests that require going into the catacombs, but no one here could stand the smell so we didn't have one yet. You've done a great service for us."

_[Quest Complete]_  
_Your accurate map of the catacombs will help the adventurer guild generate additional revenue_

_Reward:_  
_New Skill: You have learned Bluff_  
_New Skill: You have learned Automapping_  
_New Skill: You have learned Detect_  
_New Skill: You have learned Disarm Trap_  
_New Skill: You have learned Identify_  
_New Skill: You have learned Scan_  
_New Skill: You have learned Unlock_

The old man said, "Don't feel too bad. Since this map is pretty good, I threw in a few extra skill for ya."

Don did feel slightly cheated, but the skills were good. He recognized them all and knew he had done well. "Thankyou sir."

After spending the money he earned on a few supplied like lockpicks Don left the city and headed south.


	3. Vol1 Ch3 The Manly Class

Chapter3  
The Manly Class

Don left Hiritol wearing beginner clothes and a tattered leather vest he picked up off a skeleton he found in the sewers. It still smelled foul but he didn't have enough money to buy anything decent. The path to the mountains was a four day walk and he was without a party. Don already decided that he would go it alone though. The entrance to the tomb was too far out of the way for any party to be going there. That and it was guarded so only those with a purpose could enter.

Don started running as fast as he could. It still took two days in the real world to get there. He had to avoid areas he could get killed or risk death. Dying in royal road meant access to the game was lost for 24 hours, your character lost a level and 5~15% mastery for each skill, as well as being brought back to the last safe zone you were in. The monsters in the mountains ranged from level 60 to 220, and rarely traveled alone. Although it went against his man code to avoid conflict, his one exception to the rule was to avoid death when nothing could be gained from it. So unless he was sacrificing himself to save someone or something similar, he wouldn't willing do something that was almost guaranteed to kill him.

Don arrived at the tomb of the great Blade Master Bourrick. It was not a grand entrance so it didn't stand out much, but it did have a manned outpost there. When Don approached the men took out their weapons.

"Halt, authorization is required to enter."

Don said, "I am here on behalf of the intelligence guild to test myself to get the blade master class."

The armored guard nodded, "Very well."

Don asked, "Why are you guys here anyways?"

"To protect the sanctity of this tomb in honor of those who reside within."

Don thought, 'Those?' before saying, "But why are you protecting it?"

"We are protecting it from grave robbers. That is why only those who are authorized my go inside."

"I see, thankyou." Don passed the men and entered to tomb. It was well lit and dry, a well maintained place. Don decided to try his adventurer skills.

"Detect."

The walls around him shimmered lightly. If there was something in the area that was hidden, it would glow. However because his proficiency was low, the glow would be almost unnoticeable so he had to pay attention. Don explored the tomb leisurely. He had just logged in so he had 24 hours to explore. While leveling Don gave stats mostly to strength, with the rest to agility and intellect. Because of that he had some extra mana to use skills like scan and detect a few times before needing to recharge.

Don reached a narrow hallway that looked suspicious, he didn't know if traps would be that early in a tomb but he could afford to check.

"Detect'

The area shimmered without showing anything down the hall, but the wall just to his left shined very dimly for an instant. Don turned to face it and used detect again. He saw the same thing. The wall hid a secret. Don pushed against various parts of the wall but nothing happened, He went around a corner and used detect again, this time a single brick, opposite the wall dimly glowed for a moment. Don pressed in on the brick which sank a few inches. A rumbling sound came from the wall which lowered, revealing a staircase. Don boldly went in, it was definitely the manliest thing to do.

The lower part looked similar to the first part. After walking for a bit he heard a screeching sound. Some large purple monkey looking creature rushed at Don as soon as it spotted him. Don stared it down before looking behind it and shouting, "What is that?!" While pointing behind the monster.

The long limbed purple monkey turned around to see what was there, only to be slashed repeatedly in the back by Don.

_Critical Hit!_  
_Bluff mastery increased by 12%_

Bluff cost no mana and was a very useful skill if you knew how to use it.

The monkey jumped forward after the Don's attack trying to get away but Don's first two strikes were to both its legs, it couldn't run, only fight.

Don said, "Scan." A screen appeared next to the monkey revealing some info about it."

_Rayshic lvl 50~_  
_Health 1500~_

The info revealed by scan increased as more of the same monster was scanned, and how much detail was given was determined by scan's mastery level.

The monster seemed to be the one that dropped the knife, maybe not this one, but somewhere down here. Don charged forward slashing as much as he could with each step while moving up, down, left, and right to make his strike come from everywhere. Don didn't even worry about defense because as long as he could push his opponent, his opponent couldn't attack. After two minutes the Rayshic was dead, Don got a level, and moved on.

Although they were plenty strong if given the chance to attack, there were too few of them to cause Don a problem. That being said, it made it harder to encounter one and find that dagger. But Don was not in a great hurry. If he had to kill everything in the dungeon so be it. Of course he wished there were more, this place would make a good hunting grounds if it weren't for the fact ten minutes or more would pass between fights.

Even through boredom Don remained vigilant. Whenever a hallway looked suspicious, he used detect. Ever since going into the deep region he had encountered half a dozen traps, though he had not managed to disarm any, they were too high a level for someone with his shabby skills to disarm. And when he failed to disarm it the thing went off. Hallways were blocked with fire or endless streams of arrows or needles. Don felt cheated because there was the possibility that the rayshic with the blade was beyond those passages.

He encountered another rayshic, it threw itself at him pinning itself to both of Don's arms and taking a bite out of Don. Don ripped the thing off before yelling at it with all his might as he fought it off.

_New Stat: Perseverance_

Talking a strong hit gave him perseverance. It was a stat that reduced the amount of damage attacks did to him. Don yelled "Scan."

_Rayshic lvl 60~_  
_Health 2100~ Mana 300~_  
_ATK 40~ DEF 10~_

He had scanned enough of the monkeys to get more info with each scan. Because each scan only revealed an approximate level he couldn't determine which ones were stronger but this one was clearly the strongest he faced so far. That bite took out most of Don's life. It may have been the one he was looking for. Don readied himself and started his fastest striking pattern as he dashed for the howling monkey. It ducked and weaved expertly but it couldn't get closer. It tried to go around but the narrow hallway was not its friend. However Don couldn't strike it either. It was a stalemate unless something could be changed. Don yelled, "You! Come out now!" The monkey turned around to see what Don was pointing and shouting at, giving Don the opening he needed. He stabbed the monkey with both swords at once in a technique he had practiced for hours against the dummies when he got bored.

_Critical Hit!_  
_You have leveled up!_  
_Skill level up: Bluff [2]_

The monkey died, dropping only a tooth, the common drop for these mobs.

Don moved on. After twenty minutes further into the tomb he found another suspicious hallway. Although he thought suspicious, it looked in fact just like every hallway so far with a trap in it.

"Detect."

The roof of a part of the hallway glowed lightly. Don had seen the same trap in another hallway. The area under that section of the roof was pressure sensitive, should it be stepped on the roof would come down, crushing the unfortunate trespasser. However Don knew that like all the traps he encountered in this place so far, it wouldn't simply deactivate some time after triggered. The roof would stay down, effectively sealing off the passage permanently. Don approached the area in front of the trigger. He used detect again, looking closely at the wall where he saw in the dimmest of glow of a false brick that could be removed. Behind it was the trap mechanism, several ropes that were hooked between the trigger and whatever was holding the roof up. Don had to cut the rope that triggered the trap without himself triggering the trap. Don choose a rope, and sliced it.

_Skill level up: Disarm trap [2]_

Don let out a deep sigh of relief. Just to be safe he threw some junk on the trigger but nothing happened, he tentatively stepped onto it, and then through it, down the tunnel. The passage turned a few times then came to a fairly large room with a door. After looking around a bit Don tried opening the door.

_The door is locked._  
_A key is required._

Don was now slightly confused. There is no way he would be given a quest to fight a monster that is behind a locked door. Don brought up his quest log to see the details of his quest.

_Retrieve the Blade_  
_Within the tomb of the Great Blade Master lies a raysic holding onto a blade. Obtain it and receive your reward._

_Difficulty: Unknown_  
_Requirement: Above average abilities_  
_Reward: Blade Master Class_

"Raysic? Not Rayshic?" The monster's names were so similar he thought they were the same, but he had been hunting the wrong monster. It was likely that what he needed to fight was in the original part of the tomb. But then that bared the question. What was behind this door?

It took Don no effort to decide that the manliest thing to do was open it. After leaving with the class Don wouldn't be able to return anyways so it was now or never.

Don had never picked a lock before, but he knew how. It came instinctively to him because he knew how locks work.

Don first put his tension wrench into the lower part of the lock and turned it left then right. It wouldn't turn clockwise at all but it could slightly turn counter clockwise, meaning that was the direction the key turned it. He then slide the pick inside to feel the tumblers. He felt six tumblers, the lowest two were the same height. This would not be easy.

A keyhole is held in place within the lock by tumblers, or tiny pairs of cylinders columns in a line, that are pushed down by a spring from above. When a key is inserted the tumblers rise to the point where the cylinders allow movement.

Don turned the tension wrench until some of the pins became harder to move, these were to ones to raise first. However for this lock, there were two that were the same. Don turned over his pick to the flat side and lifted it parallel upwards until he felt the bottom of both of the pins and rose them together.

Click*

The tension wrench was able to move the lock just a bit, the two pins were now above the cylinder keeping them up as long as Don kept tension on the wrench. Don found the next hardest one to move and tapped it up until he heard another click. Three more to go. Don attempted to raise the next hardest to move tumbler when his pick snapped. Don froze for an instant afraid to move. While carefully keeping tension on the lock he slowly moved over to get another pick. Don felt grateful the wrench didn't snap and that he didn't lose tension. Had he slipped the lock would have returned to normal and all the tumblers would have set back into their original position. Don carefully reinserted the pick and started back up with the fourth pin.

After three more clicks Don used the tension wrench to turn the lock all the way until the door had opened.

_Skill level up: Unlock [2]_

Don got up and entered the door. Through it was a large room with a large statue of a man wielding two swords. Below the statue was an ornate sarcophagus. Don walked up to the thing and saw words that were inscribed in a plaque before the statue.

-Here lies Palutos, master of masters and teacher to the Blade Master Bourrick.  
Any who wish for his wisdom may kneel at his tomb.

Don looked around for a bit and began to realized where he was. It seemed the Bourrick didn't have the tomb built solely for himself, there were many famous masters entombed as well within. The section Don found was likely the secret area where many such masters were buried. That explained why this tomb had good security and wouldn't allow grave robbers to enter.

Don figured the wisdom of Palutos was a buff or something, so he knelt before the stone coffin. Suddenly Don heard a strange voice.

**"Adventurer who kneels before my tomb, does thou wish for the wisdom of Palutos? Within thee I see the qualifications, do you wish to take up the mantel I left when I died, do you wish to become a master of the sword arts?"**

_Hidden Class!If you accept it, you can use exclusive skills related to the nature of the class._  
_Do you want to convert now?_

Don got up and stared at the statue in disbelief for a moment. Then he said, "You're Bourrick's master?"

The voice replied, "I taught him everything that he knew, though not everything I knew."

In other words the master of a famous Blade Master. Don thought that nothing could be manlier.

"I accept."

A light shone over Don and his stat window appeared in front of him

_New Stat: Charisma_  
_New Stat: Charm_

_Status Window_

_Avatar Don __Alignment Neutral_

_Race Lunar Elf __Title None_

_Level 37 __Class Blade Dancer_

_Fame 20 __Infamy None_

_Health 1760 __Mana 430_

_Strength 139 __Agility 101_

_Wisdom 21 __Intellect 39_

_Vitality 60 __Affinity to Nature 0_

_Charisma 80 __Charm 80_

_Leadership 0 __Perseverance 1_

_Fighting Spirit 52 __Endurance 65_

_Attack 78 __Defense 12_

_Magic Resistances None_

_+ Charisma stat is added extra 80 points._  
_+ Charm stat is added an extra 80 points_  
_+ Enables you to equip certain items specialized for the class._  
_+ Increases Attack Power while dual wielding swords._  
_+ Enables you to learn secret skills based on your level in Blade Dancing Mastery._

_New Skill: You have learned Blade Dancing_  
_New Skill: You have learned Cross Body Parry_  
_New Skill: You have learned Fiery Dance_  
_New Skill: You have learned Illusion Steps_

_Quest Failed: Retrieve the Blade_  
_Cannot take class quest if one already has a class._

Don did a double take at the screen before mouthing, "Blade... .Dancer?!" The class he had just received was a secret dancer class. Don shouted, "HEY! WHAT GIVES?!"

No answer. Don walked up to the coffin and yelled, "HEY! DON'T IGNORE ME! What is This?! You were a Dancer?!"

Don threw open the lid of the coffin. A skeleton in leather with two beautiful black ceremonial swords in his bone hands laid there. Don was so mad he shouted, "I Swear! If you don't answer, I will take All your Stuff!"

Still no answer. Don was a man of his word. Don lifted the body out of the coffin and removed the leather armor from it, as well as the swords.

_Infamy increased by 20 (+20 INF)_

Don was tempted to leave the body out but stealing from the dead and disrespecting the dead were two different things. He placed the naked skeleton back in the coffin, closed the lid, and left. Thanks to his automapping skill he knew all the places he had been and was able to return to the first part of the dungeon where he spent the next fifteen hours fuming while killing Raysics. They were the same as Rayshics, but light blue. He killed every blue monkey in the dungeon, but none dropped the ceremonial blade that would let him convert to a blade master.

Once someone had a class, no guild would bother to give a quest that rewarded one with a class. The only way to change after that was to meet the requirements of another class and have an NPC ask you if you wanted to change. That was how, if he met the requirements, a warrior could become a Knight. And because Don somehow met the requirements, that was how he became a blade dancer.

After Don killed off all the Raysics he returned to the lower level again to find another tomb in the hopes some other dead master would offer him their class. However it seemed that Palutos was the last one he hadn't sealed with a failed trap busting. The hallways that were blocked off with traps likely lead to the other masters meaning he couldn't reach them. The trap would reset after he left, but now that he no longer had a quest, he would not be allowed to re-enter.

Don left the tomb a broken man. The guards who were stationed at the time said, "What's wrong?"

"I got tricked into becoming a dancer."

They looked at each other then said, "As in, Blade Dancer? You made it to the lower tomb?"

"Yea."

"So why are you so distraught?"

"I wanted to become a manly blade master, now I'm a dancer."

The men looked at each other and shook their heads. Then they said, "If you want to see the power of a blade dancer, go to the top of Mt. Ketsdale. Rumor has it there is an old blade dancer there. You don't seem to understand what you've gotten your hands on. Go there and find out."

After that they returned to their normal positions. Don couldn't imagine how a dancer could be manly. Though he hadn't really looked at it yet. He hadn't even looked at the skills.

"Show Dance skills"

_Blade Dancing [1] 0%_  
_Dancing with swords attracts the attention of enemies._

_Cross Body Parry [1] 0%_  
_Can only be used with equipped with two swords_  
_Uses one sword to parry an enemy's attack while using the other to strike in the same movement_  
_Mana Cost:15_

_Fiery Dance [1] 0%_  
_Can only be used while dancing_  
_Evokes the spirit of fire within your dance. Swords deal fire damage in addition to regular combat damage._  
_Mana Cost: 20 per second_

_Illusion Steps[1] 0%_  
_Can only be used while dancing_  
_Uses misleading dancing steps to go in a different direction than you appear to be going_  
_Creates an after image._  
_Mana Cost: 30 Duration 5 steps_

Don looked through the skills carefully. He decided he may have misjudged the class. Normal dancers relied on the Charm and Charisma stat to distract monsters and make them lose their will to fight. They could only equip dresses and knives, so were weak in attack and defense. However Palutos was wearing beautiful leather armor, and obviously he could use swords. Don opened up his inventory to see the looted equipment he stole from the tomb.

_Twin Ornate blades_  
_Durability 100/100_  
_Damage 25~27 (Each)_  
_Black iron blade made in a set. A copy of the original weapons used by the Blade Dancer Plalutos. Not as strong as the originals, these were made for decorative purposes._  
_Requirements:_  
_Level 50_  
_50 Strength_  
_50 Agility_  
_Equips:_  
_+10 Charisma_  
_+10 Charm_  
_When both weapons are equipped +25% Attack_

_Palutos' Armor. _  
_Durability 60/60_  
_Defense 20_  
_Armor made with leather from beasts with vibrant hides. A copy of the original used by Blade Dancer Palutos_  
_Requirements:_  
_50 Strength_  
_50 Agility_  
_Equips:_  
_Effects of Dancing skills increase_  
_Elemental damage does not affect the durability of armor_

Don took them out again to get a good look. Now that he was in the sun the truth of the armor was shone. Its surface shined many different hues when reflected. Like glossy fur of many colors. In battle it would definitely attract attention. In other words it was the male dancer equivalent of a dress.

From the weapons and skills Don judged that a blade dancer wasn't as bad as he thought. The armor was good and the swords were excellent. He was lucky they were only copies instead of the originals. The copy's stats and therefore requirements would be much lower than the original's. He leveled up to 43 while in the tomb so he would be able to equip them very soon. However that didn't change the fact that in order to make the most out of the class he had to dance. Besides the fact that he considered dancing unmanly, he couldn't do it if he wanted to. In his whole life he had never learned how to dance.

He decided for now he would give the class a trial run. At the very least he would find somewhere to hunt till he hit level 50. Then after equipping Palutos' stuff Don would check out the the peak of this Mt. Ketsdale the guard spoke of.


	4. Vol1 Ch4 The First Dance

Volume 1 Chapter 4  
The First Dance

On his way back to Hiritol, Don died. A group of at least thirty mountain trolls plowed him over and ripped him to pieces, literally. The next day Don logged back in and found himself at the gates of Hiritol, the last safe location he was before dying. He opened his skill window to see how much he lost in proficiencies.

_[Skill Window]_

_Light of the Heavens [Max] 00%_

_Sword Mastery [6] 32%_

_Dual Wield [4] 25%_

_Drawing [2] 16%_

_Bluff [2] 12%_

_Automapping [3] 41%_

_Detect [3] 11%_

_Disarm Trap [2] 0%_

_Identify [1] 65%_

_Scan [3] 60%_

_Unlock [2] 0%_

_Blade Dancing [1] 0%_

_Cross Body Parry [1] 0%_

_Fiery Dance [1] 0%_

_Illusion Steps [1] 0%_

12% from his sword mastery and dual wielding, that would take tens of hours to bring back. 7~5% from the rest, his Unlock and Disarm Trap skills were at less than 7% when he died so they dropped to zero. Don was thankful skill levels didn't drop at death.  
-Brother~ You there?~

His sister sent him a whisper.

-Yea, just logged in.

-Where were you for the past two days?

-In a dungeon where whispers didn't work, then I died.

-Be more careful ok?

-Alright, alright. So what's up?

-You have a class yet?

-You still there?

-Yes. I got a class. Though not the one I was hoping for...

-Oh? Tell me~

-Brother...

-It's Blade Dancer.

-Dancer? How did you become a Dancer? You don't even know how to dance.

-Apparently I met the requirements. The class change message didn't have the name of the class, I thought it would be something cool.

-Hmm, yea, brother would never choose a dancer willingly. But I've never heard of Blade Dancer, what's the difference?

-It is actually combat oriented, it uses two swords and can equip leather armor.

-Oh, a fighting dancer. You know even in the real world there are many forms of martial arts disguised as dancing. You should do some research. Maybe go to the dancer guild and have them teach you a few steps.

His sister was a wealth of random information.

-But dancing... It is just so unmanly.

-Hey! Don't judge a book by its cover. Unless I'm mistaken that is what got you there in the first place.

Again his sister had a point.

-Alright I guess it couldn't hurt to check it out.

-Ok brother, I know you won't but if you need anything just ask.

Don walked around until he found the dancer guild. However as soon as he walked in, half the women inside stopped what they were doing to stare at him. Immediately an older woman shouted, "Get back to practicing." The women continued some dance practice while keeping an eye on Don. The older woman approached Don and said, "I am the dancing instructor. What can we do for you young sir?"

Don already approached the cliff, he might as well jump. "I acquired a Dancer class but I don't know how to dance."

The woman looked closely at Don before saying, "Yes, a blade dancer if I've ever seen one. You had the dual wielding skill when you were offered the class correct?"

"Yes mam."

"Hmm, that would be why. To become a Blade dancer a certain quality of appearance and some experience in dual wielding swords is required. Although it is expected that one knows how to dance beforehand, you can become a blade dancer without actually knowing how to dance."

Don took a deep sigh while thinking, 'So that was it. Because I insist on doing things the manly way I got the dual wielding skill and with my appearance I met the qualifications.'

Don asked, "Do you know any dances that can be used with a blade?"

At this the instructor started laughing lightly, as did most of the women in the room who had been eavesdropping on their conversation.

She answered, "Almost every dance can be used while holding a blade. Even the one these women practice can be done while holding two swords or knives."

Don took a closer look at the dance movements. The wrists were always pointed outward and many of the movements would look like strikes had they been holding blades. The instructor said, "I can give you some lessons for 80 gold. Something simple you would be able to do without problem."

Don flinched. 80 gold was not something someone of his level could afford. If he hunted level 50 monsters everyday for a month he would be lucky to accumulate 18 gold, much less 80.

"I'm sorry mam but I cannot afford your price. But if I may request, can I stay here and observe?"

The instructor looked at the other practicing women who were all now dancing flawlessly. It was obvious they were trying to impress the beautiful elf so they were giving practice a great deal of effort. The women smiled and said, "Observe as long as you like."

Don took a seat on the floor near a wall and inspected each movement of the women. Every joint, every muscle, every nerve. Don analyzed it as he would a machine. When he knew how something worked, he could fix it. The same principle worked with observation. He had never gone to a dojo or learned from an instructor but when Don saw someone do something, if he figured out how they did it he could do it too.

The first thing Don noticed was that the dances were not the same repetitive sets of movements over and over again. The patterns flowed into each other but it was free form. After an hour of watching what really stood out was that each women used the same movements and forms but each was also unique in its beauty. Each had made the dance their own, and watching it was indeed captivating. After three hours Don thanked the instructor saying he would like to return if possible.

Don went to the only place where he knew no one would see him, the catacombs beneath Hiritol to practice. He picked a large dry cavern and took out his swords. He tried to slowly imitate the basic form of the dance, one part at a time like practicing strike patterns. He used every muscle to connect each move into the next as seamlessly as he could.

In the back of his head he knew he probably looked incredibly silly. He tried to drown the feeling out by focusing on the movements. After thirty minutes of swinging his sword while stepping using the same footwork he saw he went to an area he knew to be a rat nest. He started swinging the swords around as the rats started flowing in, but making an attack out of the movements required foreknowledge of where the opponent was going to be to adjust the attack in time with the approaching enemy. In other words most of his slices missed the rats and he got covered in a pile of giant biting rats.

Don switched to just slashing everything around him until everything was dead. He went back to the cavern to practice some more. He realized his aggressive fighting didn't work while dancing. He couldn't dance while attacking. The only times the rats didn't dodge was when they were moving in to attack him. Don considered this and practiced while imagining enemies coming at him. When doing so he adjusted his aim to intercept them.

Don went to another rat nest, this time a bit further away. The rats came at him and Don started his dance. It wasn't exactly graceful but the movements flowed into one another as he struck rat after rat. He was getting the hang of it to focus attacking only on those who were attacking you, however he had to move around constantly while swinging his swords while keeping track of everything around him while moving in circles while maintaining footwork.

It was taxing to say the least. Don's movements had to change in response to everything around him while trying to maintain the flowing feel of what he had seen in the dancer's guild. By focusing on defense Don was able to avoid being swarmed long enough to take extend the fight until he had taken out each rat while dancing.

Of course Don wasn't even sure if what he was doing could be called dancing. He brought out the skill to see if he had gained any proficiency.

_Blade Dancing [1] 12%_  
_Dancing with swords attracts the attention of enemies._

It looked like it had increased by some, so what he was doing at least barely passed for dancing. Don went back to practicing. This time however he decided to try something else out. Using the principles of what he had seen he made up his own dance. It was made up of three different kinds of moves each with three ranges, basically parry, slash, stab, at close, medium, and far ranges. Then he practiced movements using them that flowed into one another that used a simple triangle footwork that could let one face any direction in two steps. Instead of trying to make dancing into fighting, he was making fighting into dancing.

After an hour of practice he moved to another rat nest and practiced. Most of the movements were ones he had practiced for hours at the training hall, he was just making them flow into one another. It took less than a third of the time of the previous nest.

_Skill level up: Blade Dancing_  
_Evasion while dancing increased by 2%_

Don let out a sigh of relief. He got the skill up 90% using this dance, it seemed that this was a much better dance to use. Don spent the next few hours refining his dance. He realized the more feeling he put into the dance, the better its quality. The reason the each dancer's movements felt unique to them was likely because each had their own feelings in them. Don asked himself what was the manliest feeling he could put into a dance. The most cowardice feeling would be the need to run away, so the manliest feeling must be the need to fight, ferocity.

After this realization Don stopped trying to add grace and elegance to his movements, they were holding him back. He focused on making the bloodiest scene he could. After he was satisfied with his dance, he started practicing the other three skills.

Each skill had a small image next to it on its use. Cross body parry had an image of a blade dancer stabbing a swordsman through the heart with one sword while his other sword was parrying the opponent to make him turn. Don practiced it a few times but parry skills were more effective on opponents that had weapons so rats were not ideal.

The image next to fiery dance was of a man holding two swords that were on fire. Don tried it and found it to his liking. It did in fact feel manly to wield flaming swords rhythmically through the air striking everything that got within range.

Illusion steps were difficult to use because making it look like you were going one direction when you were going another required a series of specific steps and waist movements. Don couldn't use it well yet.

After four days Don hit level 50, his blade dancing hit 4, fiery dance 2, and both illusion steps and cross body parry hit 2.

Don equipped Palutos' gear and left for the dancer's guild. He had gone several time to inspect specific aspects of the dances like footwork and pacing. When he entered the room filled with 'ohhhs' and 'ahhhs' at his appearance and gear. Don approached the instructor and said, "Thankyou. If you had not allowed me to watch, I would not have gotten very far on my own."

The instructor chuckled mischieviously and said, "You can dance now?"

"I believe so."

"Well then, it is not me you have to thank ,but these girls. They are the ones who allowed you to watch their dancing. And now you can return the favor."

Don's stomach grew cold. 'Dance? In front of them?' Don looked over the dancers who were now eyeing him expectantly. Don had no choice.

He said, "Well... Ok... but just a little. This isn't something I made for looks..."

The woman backed away as Don approached the center of the room. He tried not to think of the dozen eyes of beautiful women that were staring at him. He imagined he was back in the bleak, dark, sewers surrounded by rats, and took his starting pose. He then slashed three time at three different distances before stepping, turning, and doing two slashes before stepping and turning backwards to do three more slashes.

Don looked like he was fighting an army of ghosts, those watched felt his killing intent directed towards the unseen foes. His movements were not fluid, but quick, instead of flowing motion it was dozens of small interchangeable movements made with extreme force, like a merciless thunderstorm. When Don imagined finishing the last of the rats he remembered where he was and blushed deeply.

However after finishing a round of applause resounded. Everyone there looked impressed. The instructor said, "Very impressive for something self taught. If you didn't already know, dancing is not about beautiful movement, that is more of a side effect. Dancing is about moving in a way that matches how you feel, and synchronizing with that feeling. When one has done so, they radiate that feeling to all those around them. That is what makes dancing so captivating. Wait here a moment."

The instructor went over to a desk and opened up a drawer, pulling out a book before returning. "Here, take this. I think your effort deserves a reward."

Before even looking at it Don said, "No thankyou, I did not do it for any reward." As a rule Don never accepted things when he didn't feel he had earned them.

However she insisted, "Then think of it as payment for entertaining my girls and showing them something interesting."

Don relented and accepted the book. He put his hand over it and said, "Identify."

_Battle Dances_  
_C-Grade Skill book_  
_Instructions on how to perform dances that can be used in battle_  
_Teaches the skills:_  
_Dance of the Brave_  
_Dance of the Fighter_  
_Dance of Death_

_Single Use_  
_Requirements;_  
_Dancer Class_

Don asked, "A skill book?"

She nodded, "Yes, your desire for combat is obvious. These dances can be used while fighting, and using them buffs allies who watch you dance or reduce the morale of enemies who watch you dance. Believe it or not you are not the first male dancer. There are plenty of manly dances out there."

Don blushed slightly at how transparent he was and thanked everyone graciously.

After leaving Don placed his hand on the book and said, "Learn."

_New skill learned: Dance of the Brave_  
_New skill learned: Dance of the Fighter_  
_New skill learned: Dance of Death_

Don brought up the skill chart so he could see what they did."

_Dance of the Brave [1] 0%_  
_Dancing using the spirit of valor._  
_Increases Morale and fighting spirit of allies_

_Dance of the Fighter [1] 0%_  
_Dancing using the spirit of Battle_  
_Increases the attack and defense of allies_

_Dance of Death [1] 0%_  
_Dancing using the spirit of death_  
_Decreases morale and fighting spirit of enemies_

Don took the phrase 'using the spirit of' to mean infusing himself with that feeling and radiating it out. However like the instructor had said, in order to do that he needed to synchronize his movements with the feeling.

Don used the few silver coins he obtained fighting rats to buy some supplies and headed for Mt. Ketsdale, the place he had been told a master of Blade dancing resided. However on his way he made a detour to the camp of some lizardmen. It was a small camp, more of an outpost really, he felt it was time to really test himself out.

As he approached he heard cries of, "Human! Get the Human!" A dozen level 60 lizardmen ran at Don. It was now or never to see the effectiveness of a blade dancer. The he looked up to the high noon sun and decided, 'No, now is the time to test the strength of this whole character.'

As they approached to within seven feet Don calmly said, "Light of the Heavens."

The noon sun turned harsh, whiting out the land and blinding everyone who didn't have their eyes closed, but only for an instant.

_Solar Buff_  
_+50% Fire Affinity_  
_+25% Strength_

Don then said, "Fiery Dance," before starting his form. Affinity was something magic using classes had that determined the upper limits of their spell damage. Now that Don had a much higher fire affinity, the flames on his swords would deal much greater damage. Don hacked the lizardmen to death one by one while burning and slicing them. Don realized at some point that some of the lizardmen were not fighting back, they looked like deer in the headlights, frozen, unable to move if they wanted to while watching Don's dance.

Don took care of the Lizardmen in four minutes. Although his mana ran out in less than a minute, the psychological damage done to the group could not be recovered. Don slowly chopped them to bits. One benefit of the dancing was that his opponents could not really stop watching, it didn't prevent them from fighting like a regular dancer's dance would have, but it kept them from running away even when they knew they were beaten.

After finishing them Don waited for his mana to recover so he could use fiery dance again inside the outpost where the rest of the lizardmen were.

Don moved through them like a tornado, anything in his way was torn to shreds. The outpost had only thirty Lizardmen which had five groups of six. Besides the fact that the blade dancer's skills were pretty good, the most amazing thing was the damage he produced. The high attack of the swords, the fire enhancing buff, the fiery dance, and his own enhanced stats stacked together to create an incredible damage dealer. Thanks to that even the thick skinned lizardmen couldn't get past his sword defense. Don was sure that in optimal conditions he could beat monsters that were much higher levels than his own.

One by one the lizardmen fell to Don's sword. After looting the outpost and finding some nice boots and gloves he was satisfied. Don continued forward on his path to Mt. Ketsdale.


	5. Vol1 Ch5 Deal with a Tinker

Vol1 Chapter5  
Deal with a Tinker.

Don would never admit it but he was enjoying himself while dancing. Though it wasn't so much the dancing itself as what he was doing while dancing. Six goblin raiders attempted to ambush him on a remote road to the south. Goblin raiders averaged level 70 and with Don's heightened stats they were no match for his damage. He knew as much and took the time to practice the battle dances he learned. Dance of the Brave and Dance of the fighter were pointless when not in a party so he was trying out the Dance of Death. He tried to fill himself with the impression he was the god of death come to end the lives of those before him. He tried to match his movements to the feeling, his hard movements became smoother, his strikes slower, moving in small circles. Don wasn't sure if he was doing it right but he felt intimidating.

After cleaving the head off the last one in a horrific display Don noticed he was no longer alone on the road.

An old gnome sitting on a large horse drawn cart was enjoying the show. When Don approached the road, the gnome said, "Wonderful, that was a most impressive display." The gnome was short, just over three and a half feet tall, with a red beard and pointed ears beneath an over sized straw hat.

Don decided he might as well start a conversation. "What do you have in there? That's a strange looking cart."

The gnome said, "Ahh, these are my wares. I'm something of a traveling peddler. I go to isolated towns that have no good stores and sell and trade and repair."

"Repair? Are you a blacksmith or a merchant?"

The gnome chuckled, "A little of both I'd say. And a little more."

Don looked at the sides of the cart, now that he could see it clearly he noticed that it had various drawers that were likely compartments. Don guessed the whole thing was like a giant Swiss army knife. He said, "Can I see?"

The gnome looked closely at Don and said, "Where are you heading? You don't look like a thief but I'd prefer to know before showing my stock to someone who won't buy anything."

Don didn't want to say why he was going to Mt. Ketsdale, so he said, "I'm heading for the Veneir mountain range."

The gnome looked slightly surprised and said, "Truly? I have business there as well."

Now it was Don's turn to be surprised. Mt. Ketsdale was the highest peak of the Veneir mountains but it was also several months distance away. To be so far and meet someone with the same destination was beyond coincidence.

The gnome spoke, "I have a proposition for you. If you escort me there, I'll give you something from my cart, and maybe a skill or two for your troubles."

Don waited a moment for a quest chart to pop up, but it never did. This person wasn't an NPC.  
"Aren't you a User? I thought only NPCs could teach skills."

The gnome shook his head. "Well that depends on two things, the difficulty of the skill and the mastery of the teacher. Simple skills like drawing can be taught or learned easily. Difficult skills can only be taught if the teacher has a the required level of mastery for the skill. And of course the student cannot learn the skill themselves if they don't meet the stat requirement."

Don said to this, "If you have even one skill at a high enough mastery to teach it then you must be a much higher level than I am. Why would you need me as an escort?"

The gnome looked happy that Don's reasoning skills were high. He said, "It is true I am a higher level than you. My level is a little over 250. But I cannot fight. Gnomes do not fight, we run and hide. I am skilled in arcane magic but my only combat spells are illusion. I noticed how those goblins could not turn their heads away from you during the fight. Such a skill combined with my illusion magic would almost guarantee the safety of my cart along the journey."

Don thought for a moment, but the answer was simple. The gnome had asked for help, and a real man wouldn't refuse. "Alright. My name is Don, its a pleasure to meet you."

"Hello Don, my name is Bob."

Bob stood up on his wagon seat and pulled a secret lever on the cart. Suddenly all the slots fell open revealing dozens of compartments and at least a hundred objects. Each side was like a different section of a department store. Cloth and sewing implements in one part, rope and survival gear in another. There were swords, shields, armors of various types, leathers, and whetstones. Simple but necessary things that were scarce in some parts.

The only thing that caught Don's eye was some leather with a unique pattern. After thinking for a moment Don said, "Can you teach me the tailoring skill?" Don didn't consider sewing a manly skill, but it was a step to independence, and that was the manly path. Since he could wear only leather or cloth armor it would benefit him to be able to sew his own in the long run.

Bob blinked for a moment then said, "Well, that's a tricky one. Yes, I can teach tailoring, but you need to meet one of the requirements. Do you have the handicraft skill? If you reach level 3 of handicraft you can learn tailoring."

"No, how do I learn the handicraft skill?"

Bob grimaced, "Well, I can't teach that one.. One of the ways to get it is to reach level 8 of tailoring though..."

"So you need handicraft to learn tailoring but you need tailoring to learn handicraft?"

"Technically. But there are other ways to learn both. If you meet any one of the requirement you will be able to learn the skill, after that I can teach you."

Don sighed, "So I can't learn it then?"

"You can, the simplest requirement to meet is to simply learn to sew. When you can make something decent I can teach you the skill." Bob went to cloth section and opened up an bottom cabinet revealing a large pile of folded cloth. He took it out as well as some thread, scissors and needles and gave them to Don. "Practice sewing for now. It will take a month in the real world to get their so you have some time."

"Wow, thankyou."

"Don't mention it." Bob closed the drawers and pulled another lever causing all the shelves to fold and lock back into the place making it look like a normal wagon again. He walked up the small step ladder back the seat of the driver's seat of the wagon and said, "Well hop on next to me. You can begin with learning how to cut the right size."

Don spent the next four hours pricking his fingers and wasting cloth. The game system didn't recognize anything he made as clothing, when he used identify on a shirt the system referred to is as 'sewn cloth.' Bob helped with instructions on some of the finer points of sewing. He showed Don several different types of stitching which Don spent an hour a piece practicing.

Long before he made anything close to progress the wagon had arrived at a small village. Bob pulled out a strange flute with two pipes split at the mouth piece. As the wagon slowly trotted through the town Bob started playing it. The sound was quiet but somehow it traveled throughout the village, alerting everyone of Bob's presence.

Don looked at as he played it and said, "You're a bard too?"

Bob smiled and said, "No, this is more of a hobby. This music won't give any buffs, though I did make a modification to this that lets the sound travel. If it's good enough for ice cream trucks its good enough for me."

Don thought Bob's comparing this music to the annoyance of the ice cream truck was a dis-service to himself. Bob's playing was superb, his fingers were moving so fast Don swore he heard three distinct patterns in the song that changed and flowed into each other at once. Now Don had never considered playing music manly but he did appreciate the abilities of others to create something beautiful.

Bob played his double flute for about ten minutes. When he finished the people who had gathered applauded him. Bob pulled the lever opening his cart's contents. He then calmly said, "Wine and cheese, cloth and iron, sword and staff. I have many wares to sell. Should anyone have something they need repaired just ask. If you have things you wish to sell I can pay."

Bob got up on top of his wagon and watched the people look through his wares. Don got off as well and looked around. A woman suddenly came up to Don and said, "How much for a bottle of the Belkey Wine?" Don looked uncertain, then he turned to see Bob on the roof smirking at him. Bob let the moment of akwardness hang for two seconds before saying, "For you mam, that will be 12 silver a bottle. If you take four of them I can lower it to 40 silver total."

The woman seemed thrilled, "Oh, yes please. I'll take four." She took out a coin purse and handed it to Don who in turn handed it to Bob. Without even counting it he said, "pleasure doing business mam."

Six more times a woman walked up to Don asking questions about the wares. usually simple questions about cheap wares. Don got the distinct impression the women didn't care about what they were buying, as long as they were buying it from Don.

Don noticed that Bob wasn't just selling. He was also trading and buying from others. Several people brought out stores of materials they had collected over the years and Bob bought all the best of it he could fit in his wagon. When people had stopped buying and selling Don figured the wagon was just as heavy now as when they arrived, though Bob still received more money than he spent.

After people were done purchasing came a line of people who were there with broken goods. Bob fixed each item to brand new. After which he told Don that they would stay there for a day while he fixed other things that couldn't be brought to him. Don used the time to practice sewing until he was ready to log out.

After coming home the next day from work, Don looked through the internet on various sewing techniques and how sewing machines worked. He was trying to familiarize himself with each aspect of sewing, which stitches were best for what materials, where the stitches need to strongest, and the proper way to tie the thread after finishing the piece.

Don logged back in to see that Bob was waiting at the edge of town playing his double flute. Don hopped on and the wagon was off. Don was about to take out the sewing materials when Bob said, "Leave practicing till after these hills. If there's an ambush it'll be there."

Don waited in tense silence as they rode over the hill outside of town. When the hills were behind them Bob took a sigh of relief and Don got out the needle to try what he learned on the internet. As he was practicing Bob said, "If you have troubles with girls, why did you choose that appearance?"

Don slipped and pricked the skin between his fingers. "Well, it was kind of an accident."

Don explained the details behind the Lunar elf and his rushed meeting with his sister. As well as the charm and charisma factor behind being a Blade dancer.

Bob laughed his little butt off. "So you wanted a manly class? I guess you don't want to learn magic then."

"Not really. I got enough on my plate. Gonna focus on strength and agility."

Bob nodded, "Yea, I learned the skill Arcane magic mastery at the mage guild when my intellect reached 300. I was thinking of teaching it but you obviously won't meet the requirements before we part."

Don was surprised Bob was already thinking of what other skill he could teach him. Don said, "Tailoring is enough. You've already allowed me to use your materials which I know isn't cheap."

Bob said, "Don't think this is one sided. You given me someone to talk to on this trip into the wilderness. And don't worry about the cost of the cloth. I'm not doing this to become rich."

Don said, "Yea, I hope you weren't expecting me to make you a lot of money."

Bob looked confused for a second before he realized what Don meant. Then he said, "No, not teaching you sewing, I mean I didn't become a traveling merchant to become rich."

"Then why do it?"

"Curiosity about the world and all the things in it. I enjoy figuring out how things work. But before figuring out how something works you have to find it. That is why I travel. I'm looking for unique items so I can figure out how they work."

Don wasn't sure what Bob meant. If you ask how a spell works, magic is usually the acceptable answer, what more could their be? Don asked, "What kind of items are you talking about?"

"Hmm, it's difficult to explain." Bob smacked the wooden wall behind where he sat and the spot opened up revealing a secret compartment. Without even looking Bob put his hand in there and took out a metal ball the size of an orange that seemed to be made up of layers of over lapping metal, like a flower before opening. He handed it to Don and said, "What do you think this is?"

Don inspected it for a moment before saying, "identify."

_Failed to Identify Object._

"I can't identify it."

Bob smiled and pointed at a large rock they were passing. He moved his hands in a strange way and muttered, "Orstros Ber Totalidos Septim Rok."

A magic circle appeared in front of his hand and a second later the rock split in half down the middle. Bob said, "A useful spell for getting debris out of the way if it is blocking the road. Now see that rock over there? Squeeze the sphere lightly and point the tip at that rock."

Don did so, the sphere opened up like a blossom's petals revealing a clear crystal in the center that started glowing. Don pointed it at the rock just as a magic circle appeared in front of it and a second later the rock split in half.

The sphere closed up and Bob said, "You can only use it once every few hours I'm afraid. But it's not bad considering I made it myself."

Don realized what had happened. He turned to Bob and said, "You're an Artificer?" An artificer is basically a magic scientist. Someone who replicates magic using technology. Although it is known that almost all artificers are gnomes, Don never thought he would meet one.

Bob said, "I am a sub-class of artificer, specifically a Tinker. I learn how things work and use that understanding to fix or replicate it. Artificers specialize in magic replication. Tinkers can replicate magic, but specialize in machinations. I built this cart myself, every compartment and secret in it is mine."

Just as he finished explaining the horses started getting restless. Bob said, "Something's coming."

Don jumped off and took out his swords. Behind the trees came a group of twenty goblin raiders. This valley had a goblin town a few miles away and their raiders were a plenty. The sun was out but it was near setting, there was no point using Light of the Heaven when the strongest light source was weak.

Bob started moving his hands around like he was grasping the air and shaping it. Then he mumbled something and the air around the wagon shimmered and moved. The wagon vanished behind a curtain of air. Don could hear the horse moving the cart and the see the shimmer move over the road, Don's job was to distract them long enough for the cart to get away. Of course he would do his best to kill them all.

Don already had the attention of the goblins. First he would draw their attention, then limit their attack, then slowly kill them. The goblins slowly approached and surrounded Don, five of the charged at his back, then four to his front. In a span of four seconds Don killed three of them while the other six passed through with a cut a piece.

_Skill level up: Cross Body Counter_  
_Chance of successful parry increased by 3%_  
_Damage from countering increased by 5%_

Since leaving the city Don had practiced that skill relentlessly and it had just reached level 5. The goblins were in confusion about what happened, Don used it to duck down and slice a few knee-caps before moving away. The second wave approached. "Fiery Dance!"

Fifteen minutes later Don caught up to Bob's wagon. And without a word hopped onto the seat.  
Bob said, "That worked out pretty well."

Don said, "So you're just going to leave me each time?"

"Not so much leave you as get away from the danger. If you die I will wait at whatever town is the closest. For example if you died there I would have to turn around and wait at the last town."

Don didn't hold leaving him behind against the gnome, it was practical to prioritize the safety of his cart over Don's well being. However, "How did you manage up till now without fighting?"

Bob nodded that it was a good point, he said, "When my illusion magic isn't enough to get away on my own, I have to use one of my home made artifacts. Throw something loud and distracting away then run off in the cover of my spell. But doing so is so wasteful. I can't go back to retrieve it. That's the difference you'll be making. You distract, then come back on your own."

Bob seemed quite please with the deal. Don realized that between giving up one item and some cloth, Bob was still probably doing better than he was when he threw away various artifacts he probably could sell for quite a sum. Don felt a little better about the nature of the deal.

Bob said, "Now, before we were interrupted there was something I wanted to ask. Would you like to help me sell my merchandise?"

Don froze up for a moment before saying, "What?"

Bob chuckled, then continued, "Well, as long as you continue to attract the ladies, why not make use of it? I'll show you the prices of all my wares and teach you how to haggle."

It was a good deal for Don, besides getting use to talk to women it would also give him valuable insight into bartering for goods, an excellent skill for any would-be adventurer. Besides, he needed some way to pay for the cloth he would be wasting.

"Ok, Deal." Don and Bob shook hands and rode off over the horizon.


	6. Vol1 Ch6 Wolves and Clockwork

Vol1 Chapter 6  
Wolves and Clockwork

Don was sprinting. He had been fighting a pack of mountain wolves for the past twenty minutes and Bob's cart got some distance between them. Wolves fight intelligently, Don's defensive movement barely kept them at bay while he whittled away at them one by one. It took forever.

After another fifteen minutes Don caught up to Bob's caravan and took out some cloth. Bob taught him the Tailoring skill a week prior, and now Don was trying to get his skill to level 4. When tailoring is at level 1, cloth can be sewn, level 2, soft cloth, level 3, leather, and level 4, stiff leather. Don was almost through making some hide boots.

_Skill level up: Tailoring [3]_

"Identify"

_Deer skin boots:_  
_Durability: 20/20_  
_Defense: 2._

_Woven deer skin boots made with practiced hands. Although the defense is not high, they are comfortable and durable._

_Effects:_  
_Agility +2._

Don passed the shoes to Bob for minor inspection and said, "Got up to 3."

"Congratulations, these are good work. Now, how much would they sell for?"

Don thought about it for a moment before saying, "Fair price, 60 copper. Market Price, 1 silver, 30 copper."

Bob nodded. One of the first things Don learned about Bob was that the gnome sold his wares at fair prices, not market prices. Because of the isolation of the towns he visited the demand for most of his goods was greater than the supply, if he sold his goods at double the price, no one would be able to complain. He said that the reason he didn't was because he wasn't a merchant with class exclusive skills like Barter and Trading. He did however say that a month after started out he got the stat Trade. To Bob, trading buying and selling was a way to increase his trade stats and fame. The higher these were the easier it would be for him to acquire rare and unique items when he came across them.

Don asked, "What will you do after we part ways?"

This was a question that had bugged Don. If Bob needed an escort to get this far from civilization, he would need one to get back. This deal was to split up at the Veneir mountain range, it would take Bob at least two if not three months to get back to the central continent and if he ran out of homemade artifacts on the way he could lose his life and his cart. Don didn't know how long either of their business would take so their was a good chance they would not be able to return together. Don wouldn't feel right leaving Bob on his own but there were no mercenaries or warriors in the towns that would likely agree to escort Bob.

Bob remained silent for a while before saying, "If I can't get an escort back I will take the time to make more artifacts for use on the way back."

Don said, "Artifacts which you'll be throwing away and unable to retrieve... Umm, you said you specialize in automation, you skilled enough to make a robot that can distract the enemy then return to you?"

Bob nodded. "That was one of my dreams in this game. But it's not that simple. Building the machinations of a robot is within my capabilities but what gives an Automaton its soul, its programming if you will is a soul gear. Basically it's a crystal that is filled with pieces of the souls of the type of robot you are making. Say you want to make a giant robot, you would need to kill giants while holding the soul gear. The gear would absorb a small piece of the soul of every giant you kill until it becomes full. If you couldn't tell, giant robots are nonexistent, gnomes don't kill giants, giants eat gnomes. There are ways to program a soul gear without killing anything but I don't have the skill to do so."

Don thought for a moment and said, "Do you have a soul gear?"

Bob nodded.

"Then how about a Wolf Automaton? We've been attacked by mountain wolves 3 times since entering this valley. If you give me the soul gear I can look for the wolves' den and kill as many as I can."

Bob sighed, "Unfortunately that wouldn't work either. If it did, gnomes could hire out mercenaries to fill soul gears. No, soul gears only fill when in the inventory of an artificer. And I already told you gnomes don't fight, and I don't have the skill to make an artifact capable of killing enough wolves to fill it."

Don thought for a moment and said, "Can you teach the artifice skill?"

Bob pulled the reins of his horse, stopping the wagon. He turned to Don and said, "Yes, I can teach it, but it requires 80 intellect and 40 wisdom to learn, minimum. And it requires a certain dexterity rating."

"Dexterity rating?"

Bob nodded, "Think of it as an unwritten stat for the skill of your hands. It is determined by the handicraft skill, the tailoring skill, sculpting skill, the agility stat, and your natural ability. That and you would have to level up here repeatedly to get your stats to the minimum.

Don thought it over for a second, but the answer was clear, he was in Bob's debt for the material to learn tailoring. A real man always repays his debt. "How do I know if I have a high enough dexterity rating?"

Bob looked at Don for a moment and got off the cart before going to the back. He pulled another secret lever and the back of the cart opened, revealing a tiny room. Too small for Don to enter but enough for a gnome. Bob went in, opened a drawer, pulled out some things and jumped back outside, handing them to Don. It was a metal sphere and a pile of small parts. Bob said, "This is a simple artifact, and all the parts needed to make it. How fast you can assemble it is a good test for dexterity rating as well as a measure of the aptitude of artificing."

Don sat down and looked through the pieces. Tiny clockwork gears, springs, and form fitting components. Don examined the pieces to see what matched where on the assembled piece. After he saw how the pieces fit together and how they would look on the final piece, Don got to work putting them together with the tools he was given. When Don knew how something worked, assembling or fixing was no problem.

Don threw the pair of artifacts to Bob. He finished in 3 minutes. Bob looked at them and said, "You really wanna do this?"

Don nodded, a man didn't go back on his word.

Bob found a spot to park his wagon and placed a few artifact traps around the area. It seemed this was how he protected his wagon when he logged out. He got out a large pile of gears, metal ore, and some blacksmith implements. It seemed he was going to make some of the parts from scratch.

Don left to find monsters to hunt. He wanted to avoid the wolf den for now but he needed to rise 11 levels. His wisdom was 25 and his intellect 40, he had given stats to each some time ago to increase the success rate of his adventurer skills.

Don wandered around the valley till he found a pack of beasts he didn't recognize. They were the size of bears but they had thick hind legs and moved around on all fours. Don hid behind a hill and threw a rock at one of them before ducking away. The beast snarled but didn't make any other noises. It slowly went to the hill to investigate. Don started his blade dance catching the beast's attention. It approached slowly and when it was close enough Don said, "Scan."

_Bonstros lvl 110~_  
_Health 3500~_

Don was level 72, if he could defeat one or two of these he could level up. He had to be careful though, his defense was no where near good enough to survive more than one attack, and if he had to fight more than one at a time, he would likely die. He had to slowly whittle away at the Bonstros' defense while keeping up his own defense while slowly moving away from their pack in case the beast decided to call for backup.

Fifteen minutes later the Bonstros fell and Don got 1/3 closer to the next level. The Bonstros was an example of a low quality mob, too strong with low experience. On the bright side though their attack patterns were easy to notice and the attacks themselves straight forward. Don would likely have to kill a hundred or so to get to level 83.

Don spent the next five real world days killing Bonstros. Once he died while trying to train his perseverance stat and after being cut off for a day he had to sprint from the last village he visited back to Bob's camp. Bob spent those days slowly and painstakingly making the wolf automaton. He told Don to take his time with grinding because he would need at least another three real world days to craft and assemble the various pieces together. After the fifth day Don got his long awaited message.

_You have gained a level!_

Don sat down, put his five stat points into intellect and took a good look at his stat chart.

_[Status Window]_

_Avatar Don __Alignment Neutral _

_Race Lunar Elf __Title Non__e_

_Level 83 __Class Blade Dancer_

_Fame 20 __Infamy 20_

_Health 3360 __Mana 1430_

_Strength 219 __Agility 17__1_

_Wisdom 40 __Intellect 80_

_Vitality 80 __Affinity to Nature 0 _

_Charisma 80 __Charm 80_

_Leadership 0 __Perseverance 3__3_

_Fighting Spirit 82 __Endurance 95_

_Attack 221 __Defense 54_

_Magic Resistances None_

_+ Charisma stat is added extra 80 points._

_+ Charm stat is added an extra 80 points_  
_+ Enables you to equip certain items specialized for the class._  
_+ Increases Attack Power while dual wielding swords._  
_+ Enables you to learn secret skills based on your level in Blade Dancing Mastery._

He went back to Bob who was still assembling pieces and said, "I'm done."

Bob looked up for a moment and said, "See that pile over there? That assembles into the the foot. The blueprint for the foot is next to it. See if you can make it without seeing the finished product."

Bob then went back to working and Don checked out the pile. The blueprints were exacting in their detail and highly complex. For those who don't know, a foot is not a simple thing, not as complex as a hand but fairly close. During each step you subconsciously make dozens of minute adjustments to keep your balance. A mechanical foot has to be able to make those adjustments automatically without slowly down the movement, especially if it has to run at high speeds. Don judged that from the size of the foot that the wolf would be much larger than an average wolf. When don picked up the first piece he noticed that it wasn't iron. Its color was darker, almost purple, and it weighed less than iron. Don said, "Identify."

_Orichalcum part_  
_Durability: Unknown_  
_A part forged of orichalcum ore meant to be constructed into something greater._

Don had heard of orichalcum before but knew very little of it other than the fact than it is worth more by weight than gold. Don began assembling from the core of the design outward. It took about twenty minutes but he finished it flawlessly.

_New skill acquired: Artifice_  
_New skill acquired: Repair_

Don said, "I finished. Got artifice and repair."

Bob looked at the foot and said, "Being able to make implies being able to repair, I wasn't sure if you already had that skill so I didn't mention you would acquire it as well."

Bob went to his wagon and pulled out a small glass sphere. "This is the soul gear. Take as long as you need to. Activate it after you find the den of wolves and whatever you do, don't die. If you die while holding it the thing shatters."

Don put it in his inventory and went to the wolf cave. It was a dungeon he found the entrance to a few days prior, though he didn't enter it. Monsters are stronger when in a dungeon so going in was risky.

_Dungeon: You are the first players to discover the Mountain Wolf's Den_  
_Reward 80 Fame_  
_Double experience, 2x item drop rate._  
_The first monster killed will drop a good quality item._

Don smiled. He started in a frontier city then traveled south to an uninhabited area and found a dungeon no user had ever been in. Don opened his inventory and double clicked the soul gear.

_Would you like to activate the soul gear? A piece of the soul of every monster you kill will be collected automatically. If the user dies after activation the soul gear will be destroyed._  
_Activate | Cancel_

Don tapped activate and started looking through the cave. A minute later he found a pack of large mountain wolves. Although Don's level and health had increased, his strength did not, his was in at a disadvantage since the wolves were 50% stronger. But Don wasn't worried. "Fiery Dance!"

Don's swords erupted in flames and he tore through the wolves like their were tissue paper. With higher wisdom and intellect his magic was stronger and he had a lot more mana. Because wisdom also increase mana recovery speed it didn't take as long to recover mana between fights.

_Soul Gem filled 00.7%_

After each kill the soul gem would message him than it was slowly filling. Don's experience was also filling. Besides being stronger, monsters in dungeons gave more exp, these wolves were a good quality mob without double experience, with it they were an excellent opportunity to advance his level and skill proficiencies. Don aggressively slashed the oncoming wolves with something of a tempo. Regardless of anything else his fiery dance only worked while dancing so he needed to keep it up. But even though Don had more mana he still could only use fiery dance for about a minute, afterwards he relied on the fact than enemies with burns had lower attack which made defending easier. So he would search for a pack of wolves, use fiery dance for a minute, then finished off the weakened whatever wasn't dead yet.

_Soul Gear filled 39.2%_

Don had just about reached the end of the cave. It wasn't than large but he had still killed over a hundred wolves. Standing before him was a monster of a wolf, likely the leader of the pack, the named wolf, Galnra.

There were ten other wolves in the room, each one larger than the ones before. An average mountain wolf was level 70, the ones in the cave were level 70 plus a dungeon stat bonus.  
Don looked at one of the ten wolves and said, "Scan."

_Alpha Mountain Wolf lvl 80~_  
_Health 4400~ Mana 500~_  
_ATK 120~ DEF 40~_

Don looked at Galnra and scanned him as well.

_Galnra_  
_Alpha Mountain Wolf lvl 100~_  
_Health 6500~ Mana 700~_  
_ATK 150~ DEF 60~_

Don took a deep breath. This wasn't going to be easy. Don had leveled up seven times since entering and put all of it into agility. The faster he moved, the better his defense while moving, the fewer opportunities he gave others to attack him. Don started dancing, he decided only to use fiery dance sparingly when needed.

The wolves observed and slowly approached him. Don thought they would all come at once but only one did. The other wolves surrounded and casually observed Don from a distance. Don stopped his dance. They intended to check out his attacks without endangering themselves. Don charged at the wolf, faking anger to give an impression of recklessness. Don gave an opening to his right which the wolf took and slashed at Don.

_Perseverance increased by 1 (+1PER)_

The loss of health was well worth the risk, it would make the wolves underestimate him, and the added stats were always worth it. Don struck the wolf six times in the back with the opening it gave him before it slide lifelessly to the ground. The other wolves growled. They all leaped at Don who immediately started dancing. His blades cut everything around him, pushing back in 360 degrees simultaneously. He felt the blade bite into the neck of two of the wolves and he moved to finish them off before they could get up. Don slashed and stabbed everything vital he could as fast as he could. Over the last few hours he had gotten the hang of aiming at the vital parts of wolves and in that instant had killed two and wounded three. The few he missed moved back giving Don the opening to finish the wounded three, though he only killed two before Galnra jumped at him forcing him to get back into a defensive dance. The remaining wolves circled him, carefully keeping their distance. Don changed his dance to the slow moving circular Dance of Death. Having killed a few wolves in front of them he felt it would have more 'umph'. Don suddenly came up with an idea on using the dance. Death did not move slowly, it only appeared that way, it moves quickly and unexpectedly. Don waited while slowly moving, drawing the wolves in. When two were in range Don's small circular movements lashed out like a whip, removing two wolf heads before seamlessly going back to a slow speed. Anyone who blinked would've missed it, it looked like their heads fell off after getting too close.

The other wolves jumped back a bit, Don ran to Galnra, who tried to bite Don only to get two slashes to the midsection and neck. "Scan"

_Galnra_  
_Alpha Mountain Wolf lvl 100~_  
_Health 4000~ Mana 700~_  
_ATK 150~ DEF 60~_

His scan still wasn't at a high enough level to be very specific but at this point the life gauge was accurate to within 300 health points. Don had taken less than a third of the boss's health. But he had to focus on him, or at least appear to focus on him. By appearing to focus on only one thing Don made it look like he was leaving himself open to be attacked. Pretending to focus on Galnra while keeping in mind every movement in the cavern was far from simple, but Don had no choice if he wanted to survive. Don tried three times to strike Galnra but each was dodged, while doing so the remaining three alphas slowly came from behind. Don let them get in range while slashing at the wolf boss. Galnra didn't seem interested in attacking, only in keeping Don occupied while the three closed it. Don swayed his body while appearing to jump at Galnra, at the same time the three wolves leapt at Don's back. However they jumped through him. Don had disappeared and was now behind them where he killed each with a three slashes a piece.

_Skill level up: Illusionary Step [3]_  
_Skill level up: Blade Dancing [6]_  
_Skill level up: Dance of Death [3]_

Galnra was next to the wall, he had cornered himself to give his pack the opportunity to attack Don but it had backfired. "Fiery Dance"

Don slashed as fast as he could, refusing to let up an inch. Galnra tried to escape but a wall of fire and blades blocked his path. It died without much of a fight.

_Skill level up: Fiery Dance [5]_  
_You have gained a level!_  
_Soul Gear filled 55.2%_

Don took all the wolf hides that dropped and proceeded to finish off everything in the dungeon. It took three days but he finally got the soul gear full. Bob however said than it would take a few more days to finish the wolf automaton and told Don to make the most of the 2x exp and get all the wolf skins he could. Don thought than Bob may have slowed down or took his time on purpose to let Don hunt until the experience buff was gone.

Four days later Don was admiring Bob's handiwork. A wolf of dark purple metal, larger even than Galnra was on its side. Over its gears and clockwork was overlapping sheets of orichalcum plates. At the end of its four feet were claws sharper than blades, and its mouth contained a row of vicious teeth along a highly mobile jaw. Bob opened a panel on the chest and set the soul gear inside a notch within. The gem started to glow, the gears started moving, slow at first but then faster. Bob kept his hand on the soul gear, he told Don he was imprinting himself on the gear, letting it know who was its master. After it stopped getting brighter Bob closed the hatch and stood back. After another moment the wolf started moving. It looked around at first a bit at first before stopping at Bob. It inclined its head towards him before Bob nodded.

Bob shouted with joy, "HA! Hahahaha! It worked! It's working perfectly."

Don thought for a moment and said, "How do you know its working? It only moved a bit."

Bob said, "Well if you mess up in any one part of a beast automaton's creation it will attack on sight. Something most troubling considering how fierce I made it. Would you like to see it in action?"

"Oh yea."

Bob took out a small crystal necklace and passed it to Don saying, "Wear this. Oric here recognizes me as its master but if you wear this it will follow your orders."

"Oric?"

Bob nodded. "Gotta name it something. Short for Orichalcum."

Don looked over at the lazy robo wolf and said, "Lets go Oric."

It got to its feet excitedly, like a happy dog. Don couldn't help but like it. He took it to the entrance of the wolf's den where it killed seven wolves in twelve seconds. It had extraordinary strength and speed, its defense was off the charts, and it had the cunning of a hundred wolves. Don was pleased that he played a part in its creation. He brought it back to Bob and said, "You'll be fine when we part ways, I doubt I would stand a chance against it."

Bob smiled and said, "Wait till you see the best part." Bob took out an artifact, one Don recognized as something than could cast lightning magic once every two hours. Bob brought it to Oric and opened a hatch on Oric's back where the artifact slipped in and attached itself inside. Bob said, "I thought of this the other day, I made it so Oric can equip and use artifacts. Right now he can equip up to three. He also has a few other features I'll surprise you with later. Hehe."

Don and Bob got back into the cart. Oric jumped onto the top of the wagon and laid down. Don heard some click sounds, like Oric had latched himself to the top of the cart. Don took out the wolf leather and began practicing sewing leather under Bob's instructive eyes.


	7. Vol1 Ch7 The Hardlight Blacksmith

Vol1 Chapter 7  
The Hardlight Blacksmith

It had been four weeks, four in game months since Don and Bob started traveling together. Now they had finally reached the Veneir mountain ranges. Bob stopped the wagon and a crossroads and said, "Well, we made it. I suppose this is where we part."

Don said, "You never told me what you were here for. Can I come with for now? I'm not exactly on a deadline for my goal."

Bob raised an eyebrow and said, "And what is your goal exactly?" Up to this point neither Don nor Bob asked each other what their purpose in going to the Veneir mountain range was, but if Don went with Bob he would know, so it was only fair Bob should know why Don was there.

Don said, "Simple, I was told there is an old blade dancer at the top of Mt. Ketsdale, I wanted to get more information about this class."

Bob said, "Is that so? Such a great distance just for information? Very well. I heard rumors of a blacksmith who can forge weapons and armor out of light. If this is true I will attempt to acquire some for research."

Don chuckled while shaking his head in disbelief. "So we both traveled all this way base on rumors just for information..."

The pair burst out laughing at the absurdity of it. Don said, "I would love to see if those rumors are true." So for now at least the pair stayed together. The wagon traveled down the road for another two hours before the path up the mountain became too narrow for a horse drawn wagon. Bob looked up to the roof of the wagon and said, "Oric, stay here and defend the wagon and horses." The large metal wolf detached itself from the roof, jumped off and gave an affirmative bark. Oric's defend mode entailed him staying close to the wagon, barking at anything that attempted to approach, and attacking anything that got too close after it barked.

Bob and Don walked up the mountain for another hour before finding a stone structure. It looked a little like stonehenge, a round stone ring with many openings and no roof the block out the sky in the center. Attached to the side of the circle was something resembling a stone shack, possibly a recent addition. Don followed Bob to the stack where Bob knocked on a wooden door that was there.

After a moment a young man, only a little older looking than Don himself opened the door and looked at the short gnome and handsome elf with slight disbelief. He said, "Umm, what are you doing here?"

Bob said, "I heard rumors of a unique blacksmith who lives here. Are you him?"

The young man shook his head, not in a negative manner, more of a 'I can't believe they found me' disbelief. He said, "How exactly did you hear about me? I haven't left this place so there is no way anyone can know about me."

Bob thought for a moment and said, "Well, certain accomplishments are so great, when achieved them a system is in place that spreads the info to NPCs who spread it to users. Did you do something impressive a few months back?"

The man looked up for a moment in thought then smacked his forehead. "I hit advanced in Blacksmith mastery." He didn't seem happy about it. He said it like Don once heard a woman say, "I dropped my capsule a month back, that's probably why its broken now."

Bob seemed to catch onto the man's mood and simply said, "That may be it. Anyways, do you have a problem with letting us in?"

The man said, "I guess not. My name's Smith. Keep the puns to a minimum."

Bob refrained from cracking a smile and Don made a serious attempt to do the same, though failed miserably. After composing himself, Don introduced himself as did Bob.

Smith sat down on a chair and told the pair to sit on his bed since he didn't have any other chairs. Then he said, "So you came all the way to this remote place for me. What do you want?"

Bob said, "Straight to the point? Ok. I research strange and unique things. I heard there was a blacksmith that could make equipment out of light and came to acquire some. I have many goods with me, I can buy or trade for them."

Smith simply said, "No thanks. I have everything I need and anything I don't have I can make. You can go."

Bob sighed and said, "May I ask why you won't consider?"

Smith said, "Because it doesn't benefit me. I came all the way out here to master my skill in secret, now you come here wanting to spread that secret?"

Bob immediately said, "I can swear to absolute secrecy about you. Several of the unique items currently in my possession come from sources who expressed similar views. But because I travel to so many places I assured them their wares would never be traced back to them. if you desire I can do the same for you. No one would have to know where I acquired them."

Smith looked slightly reassured but a moment later he shook his head and said, "There is still no benefit to me. For now I am dedicating myself to mastering this skill. Only when I have reached the apex of Hardlight Blacksmithing will I start selling my wares."

At this point Don interrupted, "Hardlight? What's that?"

Smith answered, "Solid light. I'm a hardlight blacksmith. I make equipment from sunlight, moonlight, starlight, and several variations of each. I don't need ores or metal. That is why I can practice independent of mines or the need for materials."

Smith took out a knife that with a soft glowing handle. It was a dim glow but it was beautiful.

Don somehow recognized the light, he unconsciously muttered, "Starlight."

Smith looked impressed, "Yes, I forged this one from starlight."

Don only realized he said it after Smith answered, he then asked, "If it is made of light, can it be repaired?"

Smith shook his head. "Not exactly. If it breaks, the light disappears. But it doesn't really need repairs. When my equipment is exposed to the light of the same source it was created, it slowly repairs itself, and in the same light it is stronger. A blade made of sunlight is 10% stronger during the day. But only if it is outside and sunny."

Bob said, "That's incredible. Are you sure you want nothing? I have many things."

Smith said, "No, the only thing I want is to master my skill. After that we might talk. But that won't be for a long time."

Bob looked distraught. Don asked, "Can we see you forge something? Please?"

Smith said, "That's fine."

The pair followed Smith out to the back where Smith got out his equipment. He said, "Weapons made from the same light are stronger. Its evening now so.. " Smith got out a bright bladed, half finished sword that Don recognized as daylight and what looked like a glass hammer. Without anything else he brought the hammer down. The moment he did the sunlight became dim for an instant. He hammered again and the sunlight again got dimmer for an instant. After several more strikes Don and Bob noticed the half finished blade was getting slightly longer, maybe a millimeter. It was as if the light from the sun had been taken in with each hammer strike and was being forged into the sword. However the amount gained each time was minute. At this rate they could tell that a full sword would take many hours to complete. But still the pair watched, they watched until the sun was almost to the horizon. Then it passed behind the stone pillar ring that was held up in place by the few stone columns

At that point Smith stopped and said, "You two still here?" He put the still incomplete sword in a barrel and pulled out another incomplete sword. This one did not have the blinding intensity of the daylight blade, it was a smooth light with shimmers of red, orange and yellow light that were all together yet separate.

Smith stared at Don for a moment before Don said, "Sunset." Don then looked astonished and said, "You said you can make different blades using different varieties of light? You mean you can use any shade of the same light? Like the light of dawn, or twilight? Can you make stronger blades if you make them during only one phase of the moon like waxing crescent as opposed to making them throughout the lunar cycle?"

Smith didn't hid the fact that he was impressed that Don could tell what kind of light it was as well as understand the principle so easily. Don didn't really understand how he knew either. He thought maybe it had something to do with the fact that lunar elves have a strong connection to the heavens.

Smith said, "The weaker and less frequent the light source I use to make a blade, the stronger and more beautiful the weapon. Daylight is overly abundant, swords made from it are overly bright and the weakest variety I can make. The strongest is starlight with twilight a close second."

Don said, "But starlight comes out every night, it isn't less frequent than twilight."

Smith replied, "But it can only be used to make a blade during a new moon. The skill Hardlight forging creates equipment from the strongest light source when it is used. During any other night the moon is the strongest, ever when a thin crescent. And twilight may come out for only twenty minutes at a time but it comes every single day."

The light of the sunset appeared from beneath the stone circle and the Smith started hammering and said, "The higher my mastery the more light I can forge into equipment with each hammer strike, so until I master it I won't be able to produce them fast enough, and until then I won't send a single one to the market."

Bob thanked Smith for his time and moved to leave. He had given up, Smith wanted nothing but time, and gave nothing but words. Don thought about everything that had been said and stopped Bob. He asked the gnome, "Do you have any lenses? Or ways to make lenses?"

Bob looked confused for a moment before a look of comprehension came over him. He then looked pensive for a long moment and said, "I have nothing large enough in the wagon, but I can make some. I can even tint the glass to block different types of light."

Don smiled, he hadn't thought of that. Bob turned to Smith and said, "I have nothing that you want now, but if I come back with something you want, will you trade for a set of weapons of different types of light?"

Smith continued hammering and said, "What would you bring that you think I would want?"

Bob smiled and said, "Time."

Smith didn't reply. Don and Bob returned to the wagon to find Oric still guarding it. Bob said, "I need sand. lots of it. There is a desert about 100 miles southwest of here that has the right kind of sand we need. You can get it while I made the molds"

Don looked skeptically at Bob. The gnome had not once asked Don to do something that would take so much effort. Not just the 100 mile trek there but carrying the sand 100 miles back was unreasonable to say the least. Bob got out several bags and handed them to Don who hesitated to take them. Bob said, "Don't worry, you won't be walking there." Bob set the bags down and walked to Oric, the automaton wolf that was larger than a motorcycle and Bob seemed to be opening some panels on it. Then a hatch on its back opened up revealing a cushioned seat.

Don said, "No way."

Bob smiled, "Oric should be able to run quite fast though I have yet to test it out. Would you like to test it?"

Don took the bags from Bob and jumped on Oric's back. Bob said, "Hold on, this may get rough." before pointing southwest.

Oric launched off the face of the mountain trail into the air. Don gripped the seat with all the strength his fingers could muster as he fell weightless to the bottom of the valley, a drop which took a few seconds. The spot Don saw they would land was slanted, all of Don's instincts told him that the wolf's legs would buckle on impact and they would slide and roll and tumble painfully to the bottom. However upon landing Oric made the sound of steam escaping and landed without buckling, though Don's butt still felt like he jumped off a building and landed on his tailbone. Oric immediately used the rest of the momentum from landing and propelled itself down the rest of the mountain face.

The rest of the journey wasn't so much thrilling as it was painful. The seat barely fit Don, it was likely built for the bum of a gnome with some room to spare. Sitting on an improper seat for hours isn't nice. The worst part was the terrain. The mountains changed from hills of grass and trees to barren rocky peaks with jagged edges. It likely would've been a two hour trip had it been straight and smooth but over mountain after mountain, it took five hours to reach the plains of endless rock and sand. The full moon illuminated the desert in pale light.

Don looked around for piles of sand without rocks or impurities. He could've just taken the first grains he saw but that would be the easy way, not the manly way. Don and Oric went further into the desert, to the point where the rocks disappeared and all that was left was sand. Don filled up the bags with pure white sand and set them on small hooks on Oric.

The sand rumbled, Oric started barking, something was coming. From the sand emerged a monster Don had never seen before. He didn't recognise it either. It was ten meters tall and twenty meters long, it looked like a cross between an armadillo, a lizard, and a dragon with demon horns. Don barely was able to mutter, "scan."

_Armored Behemoth lvl 400~_  
_Health 600,000~_

Don yelled to Oric, "Run! Return to Bob!" The automaton didn't move, it wasn't that it wanted to fight, Don could tell it was too scared to move. Don once estimated Oric's level between two and three hundred, but this was far beyond anything that it had ever come across.

Don launched himself at the monster yelling, "ORIC! GET YOU METAL BUTT OUT OF HERE!" Don didn't look back as he yelled "Light of the Heavens!"

_Lunar Buff_  
_+50% Ice Affinity_  
_+25% Agility_

The behemoth's large forearm swiped at Don but with his heightened speed he was able to dodge and strike the beast's hand's, but the swords bounced off. "Fiery Dance!"

Don ran to behind the monster using illusionary step to make himself appear to be going left, right, and back. The after images distracted the beast allowing Don to get to its back where he gave several fiery slashes to the underside of its tail. Don felt the blades bite into the skin this time. The behemoth jumped up and twisted away, trying to find what attacked it but Don had latched himself to the tail so he could keep attacking it.

Don had no delusions about winning. He wanted to distract the monster while Oric got away. Unlike Don, Oric would not revive if he was crushed to pieces between this monster's enormous teeth. Don looked back to where Oric had been, and to his dismay he saw the automaton was still there. Still too scared to move? No, Don saw something in front of Oric's mouth, he didn't recognize it at first because of the dim moonlight, but a moment later he realized what it was. A magic circle was forming, Oric was using one of the artifacts Bob gave him. Inwardly Don thought, 'No! You Idiot! There's nothing you can do, run away!' But the spell wasn't being fired yet.

The behemoth seemed to realize that Don was on the underside of its tail so it burrowed into the sand, Don had to release the tail or he would've been dragged into the sand. He looked back to Oric, magic circle still forming, 'Still not ready? Does it cast slowly?' Then Don remembered that Bob said the stronger the spell, the longer the casting time. 'Did Bob give him a spell that powerful?'

The behemoth rose from beneath Don who dived away half a second before being swallowed up by the creature. His right leg was not so lucky.

_You have been crippled_  
_Agility reduced by 90%_  
_Movement speed reduced by 80%_  
_You are bleeding severely._  
_Health will decline_

Don's leg wasn't bitten off completely, it was still attached and within the behemoth's mouth, who was swinging Don around wildly. It was everything Don could do to keep from shouting out in pain.

Then a loud whirring sound came from Oric. The armored behemoth noticed the shining metal wolf and tossed Don aside. Don thought, 'No, come back here.'

Light started to gather in front of Oric's mouth to the magic circle, the behemoth looked like it was taking in a large breath. The light around Oric condensed to a single point, the behemoth took in a mouth full of sand. The light from Oric's magic circle then disappeared, and the behemoth roared, a torrent of sand erupted from its mouth and blasted Oric away, all the way back to the mountain where Don lost sight of it. 'No..'

The behemoth turned back to Don and approached him, Don could barely move, much less stand up and run away. Suddenly the behemoth started glowing white light. Don thought, 'Now what?' The light got brighter and brighter, it soon outshone the full moon. Then it vanished, and the behemoth vanished with it.

Don had no idea what had happened. He crawled over to the last foot print the behemoth left. There, in the sand, he saw a small glowing sphere, the same glow that the behemoth had. Don carefully picked up the sphere. Nothing happened. "Identify."

_Sphere of sealing_  
_Durability 5/5_  
_Created with the use of the spell, Eternal Seal, the monster within will stay trapped inside as long as the seal remains intact._  
_Contains:_  
_1 Armored Behemoth._

Don couldn't believe it, but nor could he afford to stick around in case another one showed up. He pocketed the sphere and slowly moved back to the rock area away from the sand. When he thought he was far enough he got some bandages he had made with the scrap cloth from his tailoring and wrapped his leg up tight. It stopped the bleeding but didn't provide much recovery, his bandaging skill wasn't high enough to reverse crippling status effects. Don slowly made his way to the rocky mountain side and began searching for Oric, or whatever was left of him. Some part of Don hoped that Oric was fine after being sand blasted into a mountain and went back to Bob on his own, safe and sound. But that hope was dashed when he started finding pieces of orichalcum scattered about. Don collected the pieces and after a bit more searching found Oric. It wasn't completely broken, that is to say, it was trying to move, but it couldn't get up. When it tried to stand it's legs buckled beneath its weight. From the way Don found the scattered parts, Oric likely smacked into the peak of the mountain, then rolled and bounced and slammed his way down.

Don ran over to it and tried to calm it, telling to stop trying to get up, Don heard it whimper slightly. The hatch in the chest plate was broken and crumpled, it didn't stay closed. Don looked inside to see that the soul gear was unharmed, but that seemed to be the only good news. Don opened his friend list and whispered to Bob.

-Bob, you know that desert you sent us to?

After a moment came the reply.

-Yes, what about it?

-Why didn't you mention the strength of the monsters here?

-... You encountered one? Oh my, I didn't think... The chances of you encountering anything there was so low I didn't think it worth mentioning. I mean, it wasn't like you were going into the desert, just to its edge... Did you.. Is everything alright?

-No.. My leg is torn, it will take a while for me to recover from the crippled status. And Oric.. Well, Oric was blasted half a little over a mile into the face of a rocky mountain where he got pretty banged up. The soul gear is intact, but he can't get up.

It took some time for a reply to come back.

- If, if I guided you through the tricky parts, do you, do you think you could repair him?

Don thought about it for a moment. He did have the repair skill so the individual broken parts could be mended, not to full durability, but whole again. If Don could get a good look inside, a real good look. He could see, he could learn how everything worked. It wouldn't be easy. He didn't have a blueprint nor had he seen the inner workings of the bot while in full working order. Without either he couldn't know how a broken part worked when looking at it in its broken state. But Oric was symmetrically built, if the left leg was broken and the right leg worked, Don could look at the right leg to understand how to fix the left. But there was still a problem.

- I can't open the hatches to remove the bent armor plating to fix what's underneath.

-That's not a problem, set your hand on his forehead and use repair. When an artificer does so, automatons are programed to release the locks keeping their outer shell in place.

Don placed his hand on Oric's forehead and said, "Repair."

He heard several tiny clicks come from beneath Oric's armor. Don lifted them and they came off, one by one. Don saw each and every one of the inner workings of Oric. He sent Bob a whisper.

- This will take some time. I'll call if I need anything.

The first thing Don did was look. He examined every inch putting his mind into extreme concentration. He inspected every part, every angle of every gear, pulley, piston and lever.

_New stat: Concentration_

The message barely registered to Don as he meticulously went over each part again and again. Four hours had passed. In the real world it would be 2am by now, the usual time Don logged off and went to sleep. But not this time. Even if it meant staying up all night Don would not rest until Oric was by Bob's side. Four more hours passed, then four more. Then Don had it. With the occasional question to Bob about a feature he couldn't recognize Don had learned every inch of Bob's automaton, he felt he could repair it from scrap or draw the blueprint blindfolded.

Don got up and went back to searching around the mountain. He had previously collected the parts he found, but now he knew some essential parts were still missing, and although he could repair, he couldn't replace.

After an hour of searching, Don found the missing essential components and a few more that were scattered about. Don went about using repair on each part of Oric, not just the obviously broken parts, but the parts he now recognized were damaged from the impact. Don then went about assembling the broken parts within Oric one piece at a time. After two hours he had placed the last of the armor back on the automaton. It wasn't perfect, some of the smaller delicate parts like those used in the artifact equipping chambers were broken beyond repair, but that just meant Oric wouldn't be able to use artifacts until those parts were replaced.

"Oric, you alright?"

Oric got up and walked around a bit, testing the repairs, then it barked in affirmation. As Don was getting ready to leave he noticed that the sand bags that were once hooked on Oric's sides were gone. Not wanting to leave a job unfinished, Don sewed together some scrap cloth into bags.

"Stay Oric." Don went to collect the sand alone, he very slowly went to the edge of the sand, filled the bags, then slowly left. After returning safely to the rocky mountain on whispered to Bob.

-Oric's fixed, not 100% but as close as i can get him. i got the sand too. We'll take it slow on the way back to you. Probably be back in six or seven hours.

-... Thankyou.

Don opened the cushioned seat and hopped on Oric who started running back northeast. It wasn't the same sprinting pace as before but it was fast enough, and now that they knew the terrain they knew what to avoid.

Six hours later Don and Oric made it back. Bob went to look at Oric as Don said, "Sorry but I got to get to sleep, see you later."

Don got out of the capsule. It was 7.30 am and Don had leave for work in four hours. He hit his bed exhausted and was out before his head touched the pillow.

Ten hours later after one of the most tiring days of work ever, Don got back into his capsule to check on Bob and Oric.

He logged back in next to the wagon where he saw Oric in high spirits on the top, looking out over everything. Bob noticed he logged in and said, "Don, welcome back. First thing I have to ask. What did you encounter and how did you escape? Judging by the reduced durability in Oric's parts, he took an impossibly strong hit."

Don took out the sphere of sealing Oric made and handed it to Bob who examined it for a moment before using Identify. After reading the description and contents his face went almost white with shock. "An Armored Behemoth? Oric sealed an armored behemoth?"

Don said, "Yea, it was pretty impressive, I didn't know there were spells that could do that, much less that Oric had an artifact that can use that spell."

Bob shook his head and said, "I equipped him with that a while ago on the off chance we ran into something interesting. Sealing magic requires weakening the target, then one of the longest casting times of any magic. How much did you damage it?"

Don said, "Barely any. My first strike bounced off, only after engulfing my blades in flames and attacking the most vulnerable point did I get through its armor."

Bob said, "The success rate of sealing magic is determined by the difference between the health and maximum health of the target. Its a miracle it worked, the chances of it working was likely less than the chance you'd have of shooting a bullet into the air in a random city and having it hit the big toe of the descendent of King Arthur!"

The comparison was colorful but the point was clear, it shouldn't have happened but it did. Bob handed the sphere to Don and said, "Keep this. The chance would've been zero if you didn't damage it and keep it occupied long enough for Oric to cast Eternal Seal. Just be careful with it, when it breaks that beast will come out, and it will destroy anything and everything between it and the desert, its home."

Don took the sphere and placed it in his inventory. He then asked, Did you finished it? Was there enough sand?"

Bob got up and smiled, "Oh yes."

Bob and Don took the contraption to Smith, where they found him hammering dawnlight into the head of a spear. They waited until dawn sun rose to behind the stone circle, signaling a change in light type.

"We're back."

Smith looked over to see the pair. They had a large cabinet on wheels with several steel rods on top that could be adjusted.

Smith said, "Didn't you say you would bring me time? What is this?"

Don and Bob pushed it over to the table Smith was hammering and opened the cabinet. There they pulled out a large lense of glass wrapped in a steel band. The lense attached to the steel rod. They put the lense over the table and adjusted it. Bob said, "With this you will be able to focus the sun to your hammer. I have a feeling that will allow you to forge the light faster."

Smith walked over to the station switched out the dawnlight blade for a sunlight blade. When the sun rose over the stone circle Smith adjusted the lense to focus the brightness on the edge of the unfinished sword. He then brought the glass looking hammer down and hammered, then again. The length had visibly increased. It didn't take much math to figure that using this during the span between dawn and sunset he could forge several whole blades instead of most of one each day. The rate he made dawn, sunset, and twilight blades would increase as well, shortening the amount of time it would take to master the skill.

Bob said, "But wait, there's more," before taking out a different lense. It was slightly tinted darker. Bob said, "This one completely blocks out moonlight."

Smith raised his eyebrows skeptically, he then brought out a short sword that glowed of moonlight and held it in his hand beneath the lense. Those looking through it saw only smith's hand. "Woah." Bob explained the use of each lense. Most of them were for different phases of the moon, focusing all the light from a crescent moon into one spot required a different lense than the focusing of a quarter or gibbous moon.

Bob said, "I will trade this to you for a one weapon made out of each type of light and a pair of matching swords made for my friend here. I could not have made this without him."

Smith looked over the lense shelf for a moment and then back to Don. "What kind of swords would you like?"

Don didn't have to think about it much. "Swords made from the light of a full moon."

Smith said, "I can do it, but even with this it will take time, a few in game months perhaps. And the level requirements will be high."

Don said, "Not a problem. I have business in the area with a sword dancer on Mt. Ketsdale. I'll hang there for a while and come back when you're finished, can I add you to my friend list?"

_You have sent Smith a friend request._

He smiled, "Sure."

_Smith has accepted your friend request._  
_Smith has been added to your friend list._

After saying their goodbyes the pair left down the mountain. Bob hadn't requested custom works so Smith only had to gather one of each type of blade he already had made and gave them to Bob.

At the crossroads that led north to civilization and east to Mt. Ketsdale Bob stopped the wagon and got off. He went to the back of his wagon and Don followed him. Before opening the back Bob said, "Our agreement when we met was for you to escort me and I teach you one or two skills and give you an item from my wagon. However you went beyond that agreement when you choose your second skill to be artificing just so you could help me by filling the soul gear. You went beyond it when you came with me to get the light weapons and give me the idea for the lense shelf. You went beyond it when you went to the desert, repaired Oric and brought him back to me safe and sound. Don, I couldn't ask for a better friend, so please accept these."

Bob went into the back for a minute and returned with a large box, a necklace, and a large tome. He started with the book, "Though you have learned artificing, you do not have what you really need to use it, for helping me with the creation of Oric, I want you to have this. This book is one of my most treasured possessions, given to me by my artificing teacher. It will teach you all the basics of the skill. Use it wisely." After Don put the book in his inventory Bob handed him the necklace. Don recognized it as the one Bob lent him before saying Oric would obey his commands when he wore it, though afterwards he didn't need it because Oric knew Don as a friend of its master. Bob said, "For learning to repair Oric and doing so with the skill of a master artificer, I want you to keep this. This necklace is the symbol of an accomplished artificer. Automatons will obey the orders of its wearer unless its master says otherwise. It marks one as an ally to gnomes, you will be able to see and enter the secret passages that lead to the hidden cities of gnomes within the distant mountains." And last he handed Don the box, It large than a grapefruit and had intricate wavy markings on it as well as quite a few scratches. The wood that made up the top seemed to be a different kind than the wood that made up the bottom. "And last, as per our original agreement. I give you one item from my wagon. Know that this is likely the most valuable thing in my possession, more so even than Oric."

Don took the box and after a moment of looking at the markings opened it, or at least tried. It didn't budge an inch.

"How do you open this? Does it need a key?"

Bob said, "Well, I don't know.I don't know how to open it or even what is inside it."

Don said, "If you don't know what is in it, then why do you think it is more valuable than Oric?"

Bob said, "Some repeat customers of mine gave it to me in trade for a good sum of artifacts I made. They said they found it at the end of an ancient dungeon during an A rank quest. When they could not open it they traded it to me, since i trade on value, regardless of what it is. I don't doubt what they said was true. But I don't know how to open it either, though I haven't tried everything. Still, I have a feeling you will have more luck. The same luck perhaps that sealed that behemoth."

Don said, "Thankyou very much. I do hope we meet again."

"Of course we will. Do tell me what is in there when you open it, and if you ever find a unique item, I'll come running to trade you for it."

After a handshake and another round of goodbyes, Bob headed north. Oric looked back at Don getting further away and howled. Don waved back and after some time, turned to leave for Mt. Ketsdale.


	8. Vol1 Ch8 The Master of Mt Ketsdale

Vol1 chapter 8  
The Mater of Mt. Ketsdale  
As Don walked down the path to Mt Ketsdale, he started looking over the items he received from Bob in his inventory.

_Master Folren's Artificing Journal_  
_Before he became a master, artificer Folren did many experiments in his youth. The many trials, errors, and successes of those early years are recorded here._  
_Gives basic understanding of beginner and intermediate level artificing._

_Mark of Knowledge_  
_Durability 50/50_  
_This necklace is awarded to those who have made a significant contribution to science within the land of gnomes. _

_Effects:_  
_+50 INT_  
_+50 WIS_  
_+30 CON_  
_Gnomes will not treat you as hostile_  
_Automatons will obey your commands unless instructed not to do so by their master_  
_Can see the secret entrances to gnome cities._

_Unknown box_  
_Durability 230/250_  
_The contents, purpose, and origins of this box remain a mystery._

The necklace had significant promise, and the book was very interesting, but the box was an unknown. After looking over the items for a bit Don reached the base beneath the peak of the mountain where he found a sign. It said to his left is a pass that will slowly and safely lead up the mountain. Don asks himself what is the manliest thing he can do.

Don walks forward, intent to climb to it vertically. It looks steep but it had many faces to lift one's self up on. The first few minutes aren't too bad, steep steps with the occasional use of hands for support. About twenty meters up the angle becomes steeper, Don looks around to make sure the area has enough hand holds before choosing how he is going to scale up. Inch by inch he pulls himself up the mountain, if this were his normal body he would've had to stop some time ago, but with this high strength and light elf body it was too easy.

An hour passes by while climbing and Don can't see the top yet. The foot holds are fewer the higher he goes. Thunder can be heard in the distance. Don looks back to see a thunderhead is on its way, he won't be able to climb while the mountain is wet, and the chance of being struck by lightning isn't minimal.

Don smiles, a real man wouldn't turn back now matter how bad it got. Don continues up the mountain. Two hours later he is still climbing, it is raining, the rocks and himself are soaking wet, he can't see more than twenty feet ahead of him, and the higher he goes, the colder than wind chill.

_You have caught a cold. The body has become more rigid and the physical ability has reduced by 5%.The speed at which satiety is reduced has increased by 25%._

Don felt a part of his strength leave him, he felt fingers turn stiff, soon he wouldn't even be able to feel his fingers. Don took in a deep breath and continued up the mountain. Rushing would lead to more likely slipping, he had to be patient and mindful of each step. Don grabbed a hold of a rock which fell off when he put weight onto it. His heart stopped for a moment but he was fine, it was simple confirmation that rushing even when the weather was getting worse was not a good idea.

Two more hours passed and Don could see the peak, he had actually come over several of the paths that circled up the mountain but other than using it as a spot to eat, refill his satiety, and change from his leather armor to warmer, drying clothing he made himself, he ignored them and continued vertically. After another hour the rain stopped and half an hour after that he made it to the summit. He looked around the peak trying to find where the the blade dancer master would be, but he saw nothing, the entire peak was covered in dense mist. Don wandered around the misty peak for half an hour but found nothing. He was told the master was at the peak of Mt. Ketsdale, he was at the peak of Mt. Ketsdale, nothing was here. Don sat down and sighed. Not all rumors were true. At the very least the master wasn't exactly on the peak. Don walked around for half an hour but he couldn't find the path that lead to the top of the mountain. It was possible that the path up the mountain itself didn't actually lead all the way up to the top of the mountain, meaning Don would have to work his way around until he found the path, then search it up and down until he found a residence or something.

While thinking about what to do next Don heard something over the silence of the mountain. It was music, somewhere up there someone was playing an instrument. Do closed his eyes and tried to find the sound, after deducing its source Don walked to it.

Through the fog and the mist was a small stone cottage with an old woman sitting in front, eyes closed, playing a stringed instrument. Don tentatively approached, but as soon as she heard his foot step she stopped playing. Don said, "Sorry to disturb you." If this was the person he was looking for, he did not want to make a bad first impression, he slowly sat down and waited for her to make the first move. She stared at him for a moment before going back to playing.

After a few more minutes she stopped, put down her instrument and said, "So, came because you heard the music huh? You're a long way from anything, what brings you here?"

"I came here looking for a master blade dancer." Don stopped before elaborating further, Don knew from experience that although the elderly were long winded talkers, they prefer their own questions to be answered concisely.

She didn't say anything for a moment, continuing to examine Don. Then she said, "How did you get here?"

Don took this for affirmation he found the right place, but she didn't seem thrilled about it. "I scaled up the mountain to its peak, searched through the mist until I heard your playing."

She said, "No, you couldn't have come close enough to hear my playing by reaching the end of the path, did you have a map?"

"No, I scaled the mountain, vertically. I did not use the path. I reached the peak, searched around, heard your playing."

The old woman looked around at the mist. She of course knew it had been raining an hour before hand. She slowly shook her head and said, "You idiot." She got up off her chair and said, "Well come inside, you have a cold no doubt."

"Thankyou." Don followed her inside, at the door he said, "My name is Don."

She nodded and said, "Gwendle."

After entering Don sat in an old chair. Gwendle said, "So, why did you come searching for a blade dancer?"

"I acquired the class blade dancer some time ago and wish to learn more about it. I was told it has incredible strength, and since acquiring it, I have been looking for that strength."

Gwendle came out from the kitchen with a bowl of something and said, "Eat this. Mountain herbs with some spices to make it edible."

It looked like grass and dirt but he didn't want to seem rude. Overall it wasn't too bad, like a spicy salad.

_You have recovered from your cold._  
_Resistance to colds increased by 2%_  
_Resistance to ice magic increased by 0.2%_

Don said, "Thankyou."

Gwendle went outside and motioned for Don to follow. Afterwards she said, "Show me your best dance."

The only Dance Don had be practicing to the point of some proficiency was the Dance of Death. Don took out his swords, equipped his leather armor and started his slow circular motions, occasionally imagining an enemy approaching and quickly lashing out at it. After two minutes he stopped and waited for Gwendle's opinion.

She sighed and said, "You have a good sense for the feeling of the dance, but you don't have the most important aspect. I can help you learn it, but you will have to do exactly what I say. Deal?"

"It would be my honor."

"Good, now strip."

"Ok- Wait, what?" He thought he had to have misheard her.

She said, "Take off that armor and unequip those swords. Those clothes you came here with are fine, put them on and remove everything else, take everything you have out of your inventory as well."

Don sighed in relief. He equipped the hiker clothes he made before going there, unequipped everything else, even his shoes, and took it all out of his inventory. Gwendle examined all his possessions, after a moment she asked, "You learning to sew?"

"Yes."

She nodded approvingly. However she then took Don's black swords and armor and locked them in a chest. She then went into a back room for a few minutes before returning with some instruments.

"Pick one," she said.

Don was slightly confused. "For what?"

"To learn."

Don said, "I didn't come here to learn to play music."

"No, you came here to learn the full potential of a blade dancer. This will teach you what you lack."

Don wasn't the kind of person to back away from a challenge after coming so far, but this was different. "I'm sorry, but no thanks. I think I'll just take my items and leave."

Gwendle didn't seem particularly surprised by Don's change of heart. She said, "Very well, but the sword and armor stay here."

"What? Why?"

She shrugged and said like it was obvious, "Because they are not yours. You stole them from the tomb of Palutos. Did you think I wouldn't notice? I wouldn't mind letting you have them if you were a somewhat decent blade dancer, but you're not even that."

Don was agitated but he would not be blackmailed. It would not be long before his tailoring reached the point he could make his own leather and in a while Smith would have a new pair of swords for him.

Don said, "That's fine. I don't need them."

As he was packing up his items he noticed one was missing. He looked up to see Gwendle was handling the box he received from Bob. Don said, "Please return that, it was a gift from a friend."

She hands it over and says, "Of course. But do you even know how to open it?"

Don shook his head. "No."

"I do."

"Really? How?" Don didn't believe her.

Gwendle pointed to the top saying, "This top section is made of Jea wood. It is extinct now, but unless keep at a specific pressure the wood expands. The bottom is made of Sehilliar, also extinct. Unless kept at a certain humidity the wood also expands. In other words when not kept at the right humidity and pressure the space where the two woods overlap is sealed so tightly it is not different from a solid block."

_Information about the unknown box has been gained. Details have been updated._

The fact that he got a message about it confirmed she wasn't lying. Don asked, "Do you know a place where those conditions would be met?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "You seem like the type that prefers finding out things for yourself as opposed to having someone else teach you. I wish you luck."

She didn't smile or give any tell, but Don knew she was grinning on the inside, she had him and she knew it. Bob gave Don the box because he had faith in Don's luck, and less than a day later he encountered someone who knew how to open the box. If Don turned his back on this he was turning his back on Bob's faith in him. Now playing music may not have been the manliest thing in the world to him but turning his back on Bob's faith in him was far more unmanly.

Don said, "Wait. I may have spoken too hastily. I would like to learn to play an instrument."

She nodded, still without showing any surprised expression or rubbing it in Don's face.

Don went to examine the set of instruments. There was a wooden flute, a guitar with a bent neck, and a strange wooden plank with piano keys on it and a wooden wheel with a crank, and a small harp. He used Identify on them all.

_Silian Flute_  
_This six hole flute carries its melodies far and clear. It is easy to learn and play._

_Classic Lute_  
_This seven course, thirteen string lute can create music to match any feeling._

_Hurdy Gurdy_  
_The crank turned instrument produces sounds by rubbing a rosin wheel against a set of strings that change sound when pressed by their respective keys. The sound itself is a harmonic buzzing._

_Hand held Harp_  
_A simple, refined harp that produces a beautiful sound._

Don knew he didn't want to play the harp or flute, a harp was beyond his tolerance for unmanly and Don knew from experience that a flute sounds best when played with other flutes, that's why Bob's double flute sounded so great. That meant the choice was between the lute and the hurdy gurdy. Don had never heard of a hurdy gurdy and the lute seemed to be the instrument that Don saw Gwendle playing so she might be able to tell him a few things about it. So Don choose the lute. At first it looked like a guitar but the sound chamber was a teardrop shape, the strings were paired up instead of evenly spaced apart, except for the bottom one, and the neck was bent at almost a ninety degree angle close to the top. Don picked it up and brought it to Gwendle who didn't seem surprised that Don had chosen it.

Gwendle spent an hour showing Don the correct way to tune it, then took him outside.

She said, "Now, go learn it."

Don said, "I thought you were going to teach me?"

She answered, "No. This is apart of your training. You must learn to play it on your own. After you can create and play one song you can return."

_Learn the Lute. _  
_In order to master what you lack in Blade Dancing, you have been instructed to learn to play an instrument. Return to Master Gwendle after you can create and play one song._  
_Reward:_  
_Requested info_  
_Unknown_

Don thought, 'So you won't begin teaching anything advanced until I learn the basics? Fine.' Don was about to leave when he realized he left all his stuff in Gwendle's house. He said, "Wait, my stuff. The black swords and armor are one thing but Can I at least get my training sword to defend myself, and my sewing supplies to make clothes if I need them?"

She shook her head, "No, going without anything makes the training more effective, takes less time. It better for you. All of your possessions will be given back when you return. If you impress me you can even have Palutos's memorial equipment back."

Don had nothing he could say so he begrudgingly thanked her and left.

Don logged out of Royal Road. It was only 10pm, much earlier than he usually logged out but he needed the internet. He logged onto his computer, and after checking the usual RR news sites he went to video sharing websites. First he watched videos of some people playing lutes so he could figure out what he had gotten himself into. He was surprised at the variation, the instrument's description did say it could match any feeling and it looked like it was telling the truth. It wasn't too bad of an instrument and it did make a pleasant sound. However the fingering was complex. Individual strings were rapidly plucked by different fingers in a complex routine that looked difficult to practice much less master.

Don looked up the price for a lute online. Don flinched when he saw them, $1200~$800 for a professional one, and $800~$400 for a practical one. Don switched over to RR's item website, Inventory. It had a vast list of items and their current prices on RR. Don typed in Lute and saw that even in RR Lutes cost 350 gold coins. Don thought that if Gwendle let him keep the lute after learning it he might sell it.

Don began with simple instructional videos. Unfortunately they weren't so much about how to play as they were about the difference between lutes and guitars and the proper way to tune, the only two things he already knew. Don tried a different approach. He got out a pen and pad of paper and downloaded a variety of songs played on a lute. He opened the first on video editor software and slowed it down so he could see the movement of the hand and the order of the note plucking.

The first thing he noticed was that plucking up and plucking down were done by different fingers, most of the notes were being plucked by the index through pinky fingers on the up strum while on the down strum only the thumb plucked a string. To get the hand into position for each series of plucks required a lot of jittering up and down, if the person didn't have a lute there their hand would look like it was having a seizure.

Don divided the videos into segments of simple parts, he then looked for the easiest and wrote them down a few times to memorize them. By the time he was done it was 1am. Don got back into his pod, he had four RR hours to practice.

When Don logged back in the mist had cleared and it was night time. Don's hiker's gear kept him warm at night so as long as it didn't rain it would be ok to practice. Don took out the lute and examined it once again, now comparing it to the ones he had seen online. It had a smooth gloss and the lute hole cover had an interesting design. Don couldn't tell what kind of wood it was made of but the sound that came out of the lute was no less than that of those videos.

Don slowly practiced the fingering moves one after another. Don practiced fret motion and coordination as well but he was more focused on practicing the hand motions. Don practiced at less than 1/8 the speed of a lutist and was still making mistakes in the order of the smallest parts. But it was a challenge Don felt he could succeed at so he continued practicing.

After forty minutes Don managed to play through the piece quite a few times without messing up. After which he moved onto the next.

Don logged out at 2am as usual, took a shower and went to bed. The next day he went to work after looking at more segments of videos. He practiced the motions in the air when it was free to do so.

Eugine saw Don practicing and said, "Is your hand having a seizure?"

"No. This something I need to practice for Royal Road."

"Having a seizure?" He asked sarcastically.

"No, playing a lute."

Eugine looked surprised, "You becoming a bard or something?"

Don thought about the best way to explain it, so he lied using an analogy. "I got a treasure chest I don't know how to open. I found someone who knows how, but she won't teach me until I pass something of a test. I need to learn to play an instrument, so I picked lute."

Eugine thought about it for a moment before a very smug look overcame his face. "So you came across a unique adventure after all?"

Don thought back to when Eugine suggested he become an elf. Don had told him of course that he had gone through with it but he hadn't told him much else, especially not the details of his class. When Eugine asked what it was Don said it was an uncommon sword user that specialized in attacking with strange movements and dual blades. He was vague but specific, he didn't lie, but the word dancer was not used.

Eugine said, "Aren't you glad you choose and elf?"

Don stifled the urge to punch him. If he wasn't an elf he wouldn't have met the appearance requirements to become a blade dancer, if he wasn't a blade dancer he wouldn't need to play the lute, and if he didn't need to play the lute, he wouldn't be standing there moving his fingers around looking like an idiot.

Don knew of course had he not chosen Lunar elf he wouldn't gotten the ability to learn adventurer skills, if he hadn't become a blade dancer he wouldn't have gone to Mt. Ketsdale, met Bob, learned artificing and sewing, and gotten that box in the first place. Don had some regret, but he was having fun.

Don told Eugine, "It has its moments. At the very least it isn't a cookie cutter adventure."

Eugine patted Don on the back and said, "Glad you're having fun. My I'm rising up the ranks in my guild. If you ever come to Haven kingdom, look us up."

Don shrugged. Eugine's character was a member of the Hermes guild, one of the top four strongest guilds on the continent, with the strongest player in the game, Bad Ray. Don had nothing against Bad Ray or the Hermes guild, in fact he was a fan of both. The online videos were very manly. But Don would never join the guild. It sought power without regards to its cost, even to the point of using unmanly, even cowardly means. If it would benefit the guild they would stab their best friend in the back, repeatedly. But it was not in Don's nature to hold someone's actions against them unless he knew them personally.

The rest of the day went on as usual. Don's learning curve when not using a fretboard and strings was longer because he had to visualize everything.

Like everyday over the past few weeks today Don had to fix capsules for resale. The money made from the first one was enough to convince the store owner in the potential. Today Don was fixing the easiest problem broken capsules have. Unknown problem.

First a small explanation. RR like all games is a program, and almost all programs can be hacked. Skilled programmers buy capsules, then spend hundreds of man hours analysing the hardware and software, looking for a way to gain an advantage over everyone else in some way, big or small. But RR was the exception to the rule that programs can be hacked. Capsules don't have any of the programming for RR inside them, all the programing for graphics, gameplay, NPC info, maps, and everything else is inside the AI, the master of RR. Now this AI is no fool, and people don't tend to give up so easily. If you can't hack the outside it is still possible to hack the inside. If you upload a virus or add additional hardware to a capsule you could hack the game while inside it to gain some advantage. To prevent any such attempt the AI has the strictest requirements for capsules that connect to Royal Road. In less time than it takes to blink the AI scans every centimeter of hardware and every program within a capsule once before allowing it to connect to RR. If the capsule is fine and within the set parameters you see the message, -Connect to Royal Road? If not you will see a message saying something is wrong, if the AI finds something it can't determine, you will see the message -Cannot Connect to Royal Road, Unknown Problem. Unlike problems that take time to notice like the slow exterior degradation of a part, Unknown Problem usually means a small problem was detected as soon as it occurred, so no additional damage will occur by playing RR afterwards. Such problems are the cheapest to fix.

Don hooked up his scanners to the various parts, one at a time to see what was the problem on this one. Don smiled on the readings of his first suspect, the power amplifier. The readings showed that the power wasn't going through properly, meaning it was likely plugged into an outlet that had another high energy consuming device like a tv or computer. Don could repair it with what he had in the store without even ordering new parts.

After an hour of servicing Don jumped in the capsule and turned it on.

_Connect to Royal Road?_  
_Yes | No_

Don smiled, "No."

He opened the capsule and marked it as cleared before moving onto the next one.

Several hours later Don returned home, looked up more segments of lute playing, memorized them, and practiced them on RR.

And so a month went by in the real world. In RR four months went by, four months of practicing day and night, of eating wild berries and herbs, of avoiding packs of hungry monsters he had no hope of defeating without his weapons.

Don returned to Gwendle after he had made up a song he felt matched his dance of death. She told him to make up a song but she never said what for, and dance of death was the only feeling he could think of making a song out of. Gwendle was sitting on her porch as always. Don walked up to her and said, "I believe I'm ready."

She said, "Then play."

Don took out the lute and started playing. It was a solemn song, slightly sad and depressing, the way he thought death made people feel.

Gwendle put up her hand signaling him to stop. She said, "You have made some progress but not enough to pass. In recognition for your achievement I'll give you a hint to improve the song. Instead of playing a feeling, play a story. It doesn't need words, it is obvious you don't intend to sing. But it needs a story nonetheless. Make up a story that fits the feeling you want the song to have. Then write the song to that feeling. You have most of it down, it won't take you too long."

Don bowed and thanked Gwendle for her input before leaving. Don thought about many things. He thought about what feeling death would convey and how it would convey it. Fear? Loathing? Denial? Acceptance? Don put all the parts into his head and threw them around, gathering other bits of his life until he thought of a story.

The only story he could make about death that affected him was his own story. A story about a girl being swept into a river, unable to save herself, about a boy who was frozen in fear at the thought of jumping into the river to save her because he couldn't swim either. It was a story that personified the feeling of the fear of death that had enveloped him that day, and the feeling his sister had when she could do nothing but be carried by the unforgiving current.

Don started writing the song, almost immediately his finger began moving in familiar patterns, he felt that his feelings were allowing the song to use what he had practiced to write itself.

Don returned three hours later after having practiced till his vitality dropped from the damage to his fingers. Gwendle wasn't surprised.

Don played to song while imagining the events of that day, when he was finished Gwendle did something Don had not seen her do, not even once. She smiled. She said, "Impressive. Now, for the final test. That was for the dance of death no? Perform it now."

Don had not been prepared for this. Not only had he not practiced his dancing in 4 months, he didn't have his swords. The dance was made for normal dancers so could easily be done without swords but Don was too use to doing it with swords, he didn't know if he would be able to pass.

Don started his movements. As he did he heard his own song in his head. He visualized his own story as he moved. He danced for the duration of the song in his head and when he finished, Gwendle showed another smile.

_[Quest Complete: Learn the Lute.]_  
_You have learned to play a song on the lute, and have harmonized your dance with the song, increasing its effectiveness._  
_Reward:_  
_Charm +20_  
_Charisma +20_  
_You have gained a level!_  
_You have gained a level!_  
_Skill level up: Blade Dance mastery [7]_  
_Skill level up: Dance of Death [4]_

For completing a dance related quest Don was rewarded some dance skill mastery, enough to level two of his dance skills up and quite a bit of experience. Though he would rather not have those stats.

Gwendle said, "You have learned all I can teach you."

Don said, "What? I thought you were a master blade dancer, there should be loads you can teach me."

She shook her head. "No, my husband was a blade dancer, I was a bard."

Don collapsed. He had been learning from the wrong person. He said, "Where is your husband mam?"

"Long dead."

Don said, "Well, then why did you want me to learn to play music?"

She shook her head as if the answer to Don's question was obvious, "Dancing needs music. You are not traveling with a bard and are not dancing to music, so you are suffering for it, your dances are weak. When my husband and I traveled, he would dance and my playing would strengthen his dance, our combination was unstoppable. We had many adventures." Gwendle looked like she enjoyed reminiscing. She continued, "You came here seeking a way to become stronger, and I have given it to you. Without a bard you must write songs to each of your dances, doing so will allow you to play the songs in your head while dancing, giving you a rhythm and focusing the emotion you try to display while dancing."

Don knew she was right, although he had done so without sword that Dance of death felt like the best one he had ever done.

Gwendle brought out all of Dons stuff. She took out the box and said. "The place where this can open must be very high, much much higher than this mountain. See this markings on the box? The are quite badly damaged but I have seen another one like this perfectly intact. The markings represent the top of the Djoma mountains after it has snowed. If the box is brought there after it had snowed, the wood will shrink, allowing one to open it."

Don said, "What is in it?"

She shook her head. "I don't know, the one me and my husband saw while adventuring was empty. There is one other thing about it though. The trees that this box and the one I saw before was made of went extinct thousands of years ago, if not more. If this box hasn't been opened since it was made, its contents could predate history itself."

_Information about the unknown box has been gained. Details have been updated._

Don thanked Gwendle and held out the lute for her to take back. She said, "No, keep it as a gift. I already have one anyways."

Don usually didn't accept gifts, but this one he felt he earned. Gwendle returned all his items and his black swords and Palutos's armor that he stole from his tomb. At this she said, "You are not yet good enough to wear this but you show the potential to be so."

Afterwards Don thanked her again and left.


	9. Vol1 Ch9 Another Way

Vol1 Chap9

Another Way

Don left the mountain, this time by using the actual path. He had a lot to think about and a few things to do. Don opened his friend list and sent a whisper to Bob.

-Bob, I found out how to open the box. What can you tell me about the Djoma mountains?

Don waited a few moments but no reply was received. Bob may not have been logged on. Don's friend list had two other people, Smith, who hadn't left his spot in forever, and his sister who knew lots about Royal Road and odd stuff. He didn't have another option.

- Lisa, you there?

After a moment came the reply.

- Brother, you're supposed to use my avatar name here.

- Ok. Sierra, I need some info, do you know anything about the Djoma mountains?

- Hmm, never heard of them, I'll ask my party.

After five minutes Sierra whispered back.

- Don... Why do you need to know about the Djoma mountains?

- I got a box that will only open when brought to the peak of the Djoma mountains after it has snowed.

- You can't go there...

- Why? Is it really far?

- Not just that. The Djoma mountains are in one of the forbidden sections of Versailles. Monsters there are over level 500. Also, you said it will open after it snows, as in, after the snow has stopped. But apparently it hasn't stopped snowing there for hundreds of years. Stopping the snow would likely be an 'A' or 'S' rank quest, in addition to defeating the monsters that live there.

Don let out a deep sigh. According to Bob, the box had been received at the end of an 'A' rank quest. It seemed that opening the box would require the same if not more effort than acquiring it did. Which meant he likely wouldn't be able to open the box, possibly ever.

Don whispered back.

- Alright, no mountain for me

- Ok. So what are you going to do now?

Don hadn't really thought about it. First he'd go back to Smith. Smith had yet to send a whisper that his swords had been completed. Don would likely wait there and hunt the local monsters until they were done, after that he'd either go south to through more unexplored areas or north back to the central continent.

- I'll hang around here for a while then head out, not sure where I'll go.

- Ok, we can talk more tomorrow.

Tomorrow was sunday and Don had requested the day off work. Not for Royal Road, but to spend some time in the real world with his sister. Lisa had been upset when he moved out so Don promised every once in a while they would spend the day together.

- Alright, see you tomorrow.

After getting to the bottom of the mountain Don went back to Smith's place. He passed the cross roads and after scaling the hill saw Smith's stone shack. After getting closer Don head the tale tell signs of hammering, smith was almost always online. Don said, "Hey Smith."

Smith stopped hammering, and looked at Don puzzled for a moment. Then as if remembering something said, "Oh yea, Don. I forgot about you. Your swords are ready, finished them last full moon, though I forgot I made the pair for you."

Smith didn't have many interactions since he holed himself up in an isolated area for what was likely months if not years in RR time. Smith went to a barrel and pulled out two identical swords that glowed of moonlight. Before handing them to Don he said, " I have to thank you again for the lense shelf. Ever since using it the weapons I've made have been stronger and the rate I've been gaining proficiency has increased. This also was the first time I've made two identical swords at the same time from the same light, they seem to resonate with each other and have options I can't identify. I've been spending the last few weeks making identical weapon sets to learn more about this resonance, but their options don't seem to reveal themselves unless used in battle, take a look." Smith handed Don the pair.

Don gladly took them, they were almost weightless except for the handles. "Identify."

_Dual Blades of Moonlight._  
_Durability 120/120_  
_Damage 55~60 (Each)_

_This sword was crafted by a specialist from the light of a full moon along with its twin. When used together they strengthen each other. Other properties unknown._

_Restriction:_  
_Level 160_  
_Strength 200_  
_Agility 200_  
_Wisdom 50_  
_Equips:_  
_+10 All stats_  
_+15% Magic resistance_  
_+ Additional increase in resistance to curses and black magic_  
_+ Grants Light based Magic Damage dependent on the phase of the moon._  
_+ Restores itself in the light of the moon, rate of restoration is dependent on the phase of the moon. Cannot be repaired otherwise._  
_+ Additional Light based magic damage when the pair used together._  
_Additional options Unknown._

"Wow, that's incredible," said Don in amazement. He would have to almost double his level to equip these swords but it was definitely be worth waiting for.

Smith looked proud of his creation. Don thought of something and asked, "If creating multiple pieces of equipment from the same light at the same time causes resonance, can you make a weapon and armor at the same time? Come to think of it, can you make armor out of light at all?"

Smith shook his head. "No, forging with light isn't like forging with metal or leather. After being formed Light can't be heated, tempered, and shaped into something else. It keeps its shape and breaks if you try to change it. That's one of the reasons the repair skill has no effect on it. To create armor I would need to make it in segments then attach them together into a single piece with light. The times I've succeeded in doing so yielded poor quality armor that restricted movement. I'll master it eventually but for now I'll stick with weapons."

Don nodded in understanding and said, "I see, too bad. Imma blade dancer so the more I stand out the better. These swords will help a lot but a full body set of moonlight armor and matching swords would be awesome."

Smith nodded and said, "Yea, especially if I managed to make each piece resonate with every other piece. Though such a thing would have an extremely high level requirements. Come back when you're level 300 and I'll think about it." Smith smiled, knowing he was giving the low level Don a goal even higher than his previous goal of being able to equip the moonlight swords.

Don bowed, smiled and said, "I will do my best Smith."

Don left the Veiner mountain ranges and walked to the crossroads. It was here he could either return to the central continent or explore the southeast. At first unexplored sounds like adventure but Don's time in this area proved that wrong. It was danger and death to the unprepared, and Don wasn't ready for it. Also Don found out he wasn't the first to come this far south of the eastern part of Versailles either. With the exception of an out of the way wolf cave, Don had not received one message that he was the first to discover something. There were other people here, all likely stronger than Don. He needed to grind until he was ready to match the challenge. And since he was going to return at level 300 to see if Smith was true to his word anyways, that would be a good time to do start exploring the south.

But until then, he needed somewhere he could reliably train, Don started running north.

Don woke up the next day at 9:40am and ate breakfast. In the living room of his apartment was his skinny six foot tall room mate, Logan. When Don walked out Logan said, "Morning," and went back to watching the recording of his favorite show that was on last night. Logan wasn't exactly a man of few words, but the two didn't share that many interests. Don liked computers, old school pocket watches, and DBZ. Logan liked sports, women, and staying out all night at sport bars with woman. Don couldn't say he wasn't jealous, Don had fewer real girlfriends over his lifetime than he did fingers, of one hand. And he didn't know how long his current one would last. Logan on the other hand went out with a different girl every week, not including his weekend girlfriends and one night stands. Logan wasn't the most handsome man in the world but he knew how to be with a woman, and that was what Don was jealous of.

After eating breakfast Don got into his car and drove to his old home to pick up his sister. She was waiting at the drive way and jumped in the car. Don asked, "So, what do you want to do today?"

"Can we go to the history museum? There's a new space exhibit."

"Alright, sounds good." Don's sister enjoyed assimilating random facts, a museum was like a candy store to her. Don didn't mind though, he hadn't been to the museum in a while, and the price to get in was less than he thought he would be spending today.

After a forty minute drive they arrived at the museum and Lisa was off like a leaf in a gust of wind. She went from exhibit to exhibit memorizing the details on each one before moving to the next. This would've seemed odd if it weren't for the fact that there were a dozen other people doing the same thing. Don picked up a brochure at the front desk that explained that when you left the museum you could take a test that asked questions about the exhibits, the prize for those who got more than 95% on the test was a scale model replica of the Traveler, the first manned spaceship to fly to Mars. It was a clever way to get people to come and learn and pay for admissions.

After twenty minutes of running around and reading they arrived at the space exhibit, Don was of course memorizing info as well, he wanted that shuttle too. Don walked through to the life sized replica of the room in the Traveler where the astronauts spent most of their days. It had six high definition thin screen TVs with computers that had emulators for every game system as well as thousands of video games on each. Don once read a newspaper article that asked the men what games they played the most on the way there. All of the astronauts were from the same generation born a few decades prior, the games they listed were old games on older systems like Elder scrolls V, a game that came out before Elder scrolls online became the standard of fantasy video games for the decade before Continent of Magic came out. After admiring the living space and the TVs, Don found the plaque and read through it.

_Traveler free room._  
_This is where most of the astronauts spent their three month journey to Mars. Everything within can be controlled, temperature, pressure, lighting, humidity, all to keep the astronauts as comfortable as possible._

Don stared at the plaque for a moment. He hadn't been thinking about it, but after reading the words 'pressure' and 'humidity,' Don's mind went back to the box that could only be opened on the peak of a dangerous mountain after it stopped snowing, something that hasn't happened in hundreds of years. What if, in Royal Road, Don built a chamber where the pressure and humidity could match those of the peak of the Djoma mountains after it snowed? Don put the thought away from now, with a small smirk hidden on his face.

Two hours and sixty questions later Don and Lisa left the museum, each with a large box in hand containing a scale model of the Traveler. They stopped at the fast food restaurant Faz Shack, and discussed the museum and Royal Road while eating chicken. In Royal Road Lisa was a level 190 Assassin. She used her innocent appearance to approach her target then used the knives hidden in her dress to quickly strike vital points. At the moment she was grinding to level 200 with her party, when a normal class reaches level 200 they can advance after going through a quest. When an assassin advanced they could either specialize in stealth, shadow, and ice, or they could specialize in deception, distraction, and fire. Lisa wanted the latter, she wanted to become a Crimson Assassin. They were not as good with infiltration and secrecy but they were better at fighting in parties in the front lines because they could debilitate their opponents quickly.

Don also shared some of his experiences with Lisa, the details of his acquiring of the Blade Dancer class, the dance class, the journey to Mt. Ketsdale with the gnome Bob, he shared all the little details he thought his sister would find interesting.

Don was happy he was playing Royal Road, it gave him and his sister more things to talk about. Half an hour and a bucket of Faz's famous chicken fingers later they went back to Don's car and he drove his sister home.

When Don got home he logged onto Royal Road and immediately sent another whisper to Bob, hoping he would be on.

- Bob you there?

- Oh, Hello Don, have you been well?

- Yes, and I found out how to open the box.

- Truely? Where did you learn it?

- The master I was looking for had been around the world a bit and had seen one before. Though its contents are not known.

- So you know how to open it but cannot do so. Please explain

- It is made of two types of extinct wood, one that swells when not at the right pressure and one that swells when not at the right humidity. The only place in the world where the wood shrinks to the point you can open it is in the Djoma mountains, After it has snowed.

- ...The Djoma mountains you say? My, that is tricky. Its been snowing there nonstop for 800 years.

- Yes, but I need to know if those conditions can be re-created artificially.

- Hmm, a novel idea.. Hmmmm, Yes, I do believe there is something like that. There are potions and reagents that require specific conditions to be made. Alchemists use shelf with a glass case in which all conditions within can be controlled. But the one's I've seen are too small for that box. I don't see why you couldn't make one given your skills. The instructions are not difficult and the materials are easy to come by. The problem though is that to successfully recreate something so specific you would need measuring instruments within the case that allow you to perfectly match the required settings. Those instruments are not easy to make and I don't know where you could get the info for the settings.

Don had considered most of this. His biggest concern was whether or not artificially re-creating settings would open the box in this game, but if there was already system that allowed it, then cheating the system using the system could work. At least it was worth a shot.

Don whispered back  
- As long as the right materials have the same properties here as they do in the real world, I can make a gauge for both of those on my own. I can guess the pressure if I know the height and the humidity after it snows is about 50%.

- Is that right? Well then, good luck.  
Bob sounded rather impressed at Don's statement, though Don wasn't completely sure of it himself. When younger he took everything apart and figured out how many things worked. With a heavy liquid and a thin glass tube he could make a pressure gauge, with a tiny weight and a string that changes length at different humidities he could make a humidity gauge.

Of course there was still the matter of the making the controlled climate chamber. A sealed glass case large enough for the box wouldn't be hard to make, but removing enough air from it to match the pressure of a mountain and getting it to reach 50% humidity was be a challenge. Either way, the first thing he had to do was get supplies. A month's distance away was a large town Don and Bob had passed through on their way there. It had a large variety of stores and it may have what he needed.

Don started running, he remembered every fight on the way there and knew where the mobs were located, he had several months of fighting to make up for and he didn't want to skip a single one on the way. The first were the beast mobs that filled the mountains, level 60~90 creatures that came in packs of thirty to fifty. Don wanted to face at least three packs before moving onto the next area of mobs, by the time he arrived at the town he wanted to be level 100.


	10. Vol1 Ch10 Dungeons and Dragons

Vol1 Ch 10  
Dungeons and Dragons

Don used Dance of Death with the song he wrote for it in his head while going over the story he made up for it. The mountain trolls hesitated to move closer but they could not look away or escape either. Don smoothly and quickly lashed off their limbs faster than they could grow them back, killing the group of six one by one until all that was left was piles of meat and fur. The latter of which he collected. His skill with sewing had gotten decent enough that it was worth the effort to sell them to stores. Since learning under Bob he knew how to price his goods and haggle from store owners, giving him a fair amount of pocket change.

Finally he arrived at the town of Cletes. It was something of a frontier town placed at the edge of civilization, unfortunately its taxes were set fairly high for an out of the way town so it didn't grow very fast. Don returned to the shop Bob went to resupply and gave the clerk a list of materials he needed. The clerk wrote a number next to each item on the list, at the bottom he wrote their sum, in total Don would need 13 gold pieces to buy everything he needed. His small fortune added up to only 5 gold pieces. Don sighed and left the store.

While wandering through town, Don saw an old dwarf running towards him. Don moved to get out of the way, but the dwarf changed as well, making a beeline for Don. When he got close the dwarf quickly said, "Hey! Are you between level 80 and 110?"

Don carefully nodded. The dwarf then said, "We need one more for a party, Now. Can you come with?"

Don had nothing better to do so he nodded again, the dwarf smiled and said, "Alright, follow me."

The pair ran to the edge of town where four people were anxiously waiting. As soon as they saw the pair, the dwarf yelled, "Found one! Lets Go!"

The four started running away from town and the dwarf lead Don after them. After about thirty minutes of running Don finally asked the dwarf, "Where are we going?"

Still running, the dwarf said, "Dungeon, closes, at sunset, need to make it." He seemed to have trouble running and talking.

Don looked at the horizon, the sun was almost completely down. Light from the setting sun had different properties than normal daylight, Don hadn't done it before but he thought, 'might as well do it now,' and said, "Light of the Heavens."

_Sunset Buff_  
_Resistance to fire increased by 30%_  
_+15% Wisdom_

No one noticed that the the light from the sun increased for a moment as they sped towards some unknown dungeon. Don picked up his pace to check out the other four. One was wearing plate mail, two were wearing robes, and one was wearing leather. Don figured that with armored dwarf, the party has two attackers, two spell caster, and the woman in leather may have been a archer. It seemed to be a decently balanced party, there was no need to recruit a total stranger just to have six people. From the fact that the other five all knew where they were going Don figured that they weren't strangers, but they didn't leave the town until a sixth man was acquired.

As the last light was fading into the horizon, the head of the party yelled, " Almost there!"

The group turned into the woods along the path and ran till Don saw a stone door that seemed to be closing, the dwarf yelled, "Run!"

Everyone made it into the door, though the dwarf had to slide through just as it closed. The group let out a collective sigh of relief, as well as a few, "we made it"s. Don had high stamina due to the Vitality stats he gained sprinting as often as he could, so he was the only one who wasn't panting like a dying horse.

Don patiently waited until the leader of the group told him, "Thanks for coming on such short notice."

The dwarf laughed, "Short notice, there was no notice."

The armored man who seemed to be the party leader said, "Well thanks for this. This dungeon has a room that needs six people to enter. Finding someone out here has proven difficult."

Don asked, "Why six people?"

"There's are statues with six levers that are spaced far from each other. We tried rope but it didn't work. We've already emptied this place of monster, we just need a sixth man for the last lever. Will you join our party?"

_Bolkan has invited you to join his party_  
_Accept | Reject_

The door was already closed and Don was interested in a dungeon that required six people to get through. "Alright"

_You have joined Bolkan's party_

Bolkan said, "Imma knight, Thres here is an archer, Doch who you've met already is a warrior, Samos a priest and Kol is a shaman."

Each in turn waved at Don, Thres said, "So what do you bring to our little group? Not that there should be much fighting."

Don was tempted to lie but running away from his problem wasn't the manly way.  
"I'm a blade dancer."

Kol turned to Doch, the dwarf and said, "You brought a dancer? Nice."  
Doch said, "Well I didn't know he was a dancer, he's wearing leather armor and swords for freya's sake."

Don rolled his eyes and said, "I can take care of myself."

Thres said, "It's fine either way."

Don's appearance in RR was originally an overly handsome elf with eye catching features. Now that he had over a hundred points in charisma and charm, his features had become even more attractive. Anyone looking at him would think he had focused on appearance over strength, giving people the impression he was weak.

After twenty minutes the group arrived at a room with six statues against the wall. Don whispered, "Detect," and saw the six weapons the statues held glow dimly. The party members walked up to individual statues and each grabbed a weapon, "Elf, grab that spear and pull on the count of three."

It took Don a moment before he realized Thres was talking to him. He had never thought of himself as an elf. Don asked, "What happens after they are pulled?"

Kol pointed to a wall and said, "We pull the levers, that wall opens. We collect the treasure within."

Don was under the distinct impression this 'We' did not include himself. Don asked, "Are you sure?" The wall he had pointed to did not glow when Don used detect, though it was still at a low proficiency so that was not conclusive.

Kol said, "Yes, yes, now get to a spear."

Don took one and with everyone else. Bolken said, "One.. Two..THREE!"

The six pulled the weapons down and at the same time six trap doors opened beneath them

"Woah-ooh~" Don slid down the hatch hearing the echo of yells from the other five while thinking to himself, 'last time I ignore my instincts.' A few seconds later Don landed in a pitch dark area. Don sat down, took a deep breath, closed his eyes and opened his ears. He heard nothing, which meant at the very least there was nothing waiting there to kill him. After a few moments he opened his eyes. Still he could barely see anything. He could take out his glowing swords but he wouldn't be able to equip them. It was a weird system in which he could hold a sword in his hand but not fight with it. Don learned after getting his dual black blades that holding onto a weapon you couldn't equip while fighting prevented the activation of skills and the damage was very low. Holding his moonlight blades would be like holding two glow sticks. They would be useless in fighting and give away his position. Besides, he didn't need to see.

"Detect." The walls shimmered lightly, Just enough for Don to make out the shape of the room. It had an exit which Don made his way towards. Through some passages Don had to use Detect to navigate he made his way to a large chamber with a few torches high in the ceiling, dimly illuminating the room enough to see, and enough to be seen. Don ducked down low, and moved slowly. "Detect" The room shimmered. The head of a statue that was near the exit glowed.

_Skill level up: Detect [4]_

Don looked around the room for a while and determined that the pass by the statue was the only way out. It was either a secret or a trap. Don looked around it but couldn't see if there was a way to disable it, he had no choice but to go through. Don took out his moonlight swords, their brightness was blinding after having his eyes adjust. He held them both to his left and ran past the statue.

Instantly something like black smoke shot out of the statue at Don, but it impacted the swords and dissolved. Don used the unequipable blades to shield himself against the trap, but it seemed that the trap was a curse of some sort, and his blades repelled curses and black magic.

While thinking, 'lucky,' to himself he put his swords away and continued down the corridor.

Don heard noises at the end of the hall, the sound of fighting. He rushed over to the large, poorly lit room to see two people fighting. Don recognized them as Balkan and Doch. Don walked over to the pair who noticed him immediately, Doch yelled, "Oh great, another one." Balkan didn't seem too pleased to see him either. After that their fighting changed to keep one eye on Don at all times.

Don recognized this as the behavior of one fighting against more than one. They expected Don to attack them. For a moment Don thought it was because they didn't trust him, then he remembered the curse from the statue. He hadn't received it so he didn't know what it was, but it could explain the situation. They likely saw their allies in the form of monsters, so they attacked each other.

Don took out his swords, the pair halted their fight and backed up. They were hesitating to focus on one opponent now that it looked like Don was ready to fight. Don wondered for a moment what he must look like to them. Then he started dancing. He thought of a calming song and tried to feel out its movements. He calmed his mind to the best he could and used the feeling to control his motions.

Doch spoke first, "What the hell? Is that thing... dancing? Wait.."

Bolkan said, "Elf? Is that you?" The pair looked at each other, then back to Don, then back to each other. Bolkan was the first to put away his weapons. Doch looked very awkward for a moment before saying, "Aww, crap," and put his hammer away.

Don stopped dancing, put his swords away and walked towards the exit of the room, the pair followed. After a few minutes of walking Doch said, "Stop, I can see you again." Bolkan said, "Me too," before turning to Doch and saying, "Sorry about that, you looked like a mutant with a giant right arm." Doch laughed saying, "Ha! You looked like some creature with thick skin for armor."

Don was mildly curious about what he looked like but instead decided to ask, "How's your health?"

Doch said, "Don't mind us, we're both tanks. Weren't you affected?"

"I told you before, I can take care of myself." Since they had made assumptions about him before Don decided to let them make a few more.

The group made it into another hall where the other three were waiting. Samos said, "Thank Lu you're alright. I was worried about the curse. I was able to cure myself and Thres. Kol had high resistance so he wasn't affected in the first place."

Bolkan said, "Our dancer here straightened us out."

Doch said, "Yea. Here I was, fighting an ugly monster, then another one shows up and of all things, starts dancing. After that we figured out what was going on and waited for the curse to dissipate."

Don said, "So where are we? I'm guessing you didn't know about the pitfall."

Kol picked up, "That was supposed to open the secret treasury. We didn't know about the trap."

Bolkan said, "I don't know where were are or how to get back, for now everyone keep it tight. Don, how well can you fight?"

This was the first time Don was referred to by his name instead of 'elf.'

"I can handle myself alone or against numbers. When mobs see me dancing they can't run or look away. My attack is moderate, I am difficult to hit. I do not back down."

Bolkan looked over Don again and said, "Alright, you and me will take the front, Doch, cover the back."

They continued through the dark hallways and empty rooms. Bolkan asked Don, "So what do you think is down here?"

He didn't have to think much on it. "Danger. Six must enter, then are split up, then cursed to attack anything, then regrouped in two groups of three. This looks like it was designed to kill all but one off."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because it could have been three groups of two, but it was two groups of three. Men fight differently one on one compared to two on one. One on one is a fight to see who is stronger, three is a fight to the death."

Bolkan nodded. A few moments later the group came to a large door. Kol said, "Boss fight anyone?"

Samos started casting defense boosting holy buffs and Kol cast his offense increasing nature buffs. When ready they opened the doors. The room was vast, it looked like it could fit a few city blocks, and was too dark to see all the way to the back. From the darkness emerged dark beings. They appeared human and and wore human equipment, but they were covered in what looked like glowing purple vines.

The group charged the dark beings. A moment later they realized there were dozens of them in the room. Don shouted, "Get around me, I'll draw their attention and you attack!"

Don started his dance of death in the front of the dark beings. They repeatedly tried to attack but each time they received a cross body parry to the heart. However that didn't kill them, it didn't even register as a critical hit. Don slashed through the vines that covered them but they quickly grew back.

From his back Don heard, "Hey! These purple things have cores! Find and aim for it!" Another voice cried out, "Easier said than done!"

Don circled a few times getting a few looks at each of the things around him, he noticed that the tendrils radiated from one point, so he prioritized slashing it.

_Critical Hit!_

After that things went smoother, the dark beings kept pouring in, but Don's distraction and blade defense kept the fight consistent. Don didn't mind, he was getting excellent experience. An hour later the hordes had finished. Don stopped dancing and collapsed on the ground. The rest of the party joined him.

Kol said, "Nice work Don."

The rest gave similar remarks.

After another moment the lights in the room became brighter, illuminating a statue with six men facing different directions. Kol said, "Here we go again."

Don said, "No, this one's real. This whole thing was meant to whittle down the group of six, the best security measure would be another mechanism that needs six afterwards."

The group found the levers on each side and pulled in unison. In the back of the room the wall opened revealing a hallway. At the end was six mannequins wearing sets of armor. Don looked through them but none had dual blades or leather armor that suited his class. Most of the party was luckier. Doch took the equipment form a mannequin wearing thick armor and an axe. The one set of robes went to Samos but the staff the mannequin had went to Kol. Those who couldn't equip what was left divided the remainder between themselves. Don got a spear, some shoes he'd keep till he could wear them at level 150, and the set of knives.

At the back of the room was a staircase that lead all the way back to the surface. Don was surprised it was still night. As Don and the group parted Doch said, "I'm glad you agreed to party with us, it was great fun."

Back at the town Don sold the level 150 spear and knives for 268 gold pieces. Luckily Bob had many valuable weapons in his cart so Don knew how to price such things so he would not get ripped off. He returned to the store and bought the materials he needed to make his case with.

First Don sealed together five pieces of glass in a box he could place on a bottom sheet of glass in an airtight container. Next he made a pressure gauge with a tall tube of mercury which Don filled up and inverted on a pool of mercury. The dense liquid was heavy enough to drop within the tube's top creating empty space that was a vacuum. The lower the top of the liquid, the lower the pressure in the box. Don had already looked up the Djoma mountain's height and calculated what its pressure after it snowed would most likely be. Don then got a thread that changed length at different humidities and attached a needle to the bottom that balanced even. He hung it next to a ruler he had already calibrated the string for. He marked the point the needle was at when the thread was 100% dry, and where the needle was when 100% wet. He then marked the middle of the two marks to show his goal of 50% humidity.

Don then spent the next few hours testing the setup and measuring tool to see how he could get the right combo. He settle on putting a damp rag that was just the right dampness and a piece of ice that was just the right size. After that Don hooked a piece of string from the top of the glass inside the case and secured it to the top of the sealed box, only the top. Don put ice that was chilled colder than normal on the rags and sealed the box. As the ice melted the temperature in the case decreased, which in turn decreased the pressure. The water that melted was partially absorbed into the rags, but not all of it was, some of it was in the air of the box in the form of humidity. Don waited.

After about twenty minutes of Don keeping ice against the glass box to keep the temperature and pressure right, the bottom of the hanging wooden box slid away from the hanging top. It had opened. Don picked up the glass case and looked at the contents of the wooden box. What he saw there, was an egg.

Don reached down to touch it, but when he made contact a screen popped up. It showed a landscape of smoke, mountains, fire, and thunder. Around this chaotic landscape was an epic clash. The opponents? Dragons, fierce, ferocious, dragons. Don saw large red ones, majestic blue ones, and some white ones too. In the back was a great black dragon. Looking at it made Don's hairs stand on edge. Don then saw a large grey scaled dragon speeding to the east. Five dragons were on its tail, shooting fire and ice and lightning at the grey dragon in the form of dragon breath and dragon magic. The grey dragon seemed worried, though not for its own survival. The scene changes again to the grey dragon being struck down and falling into a stream of lava. As it sinks, Don sees it is holding onto something, the thing it was trying to protect, the thing the other dragons were after, an egg.

The grey dragon tightly wraps its arms around the egg as it dies. The scene changes again, this time it is a group of humans, they are mining a ravine for gemstones. The bones of the grey dragon are found, and within, the dragon egg is still there. The humans take it to an appraiser who pays them almost nothing for it. He in turn gives it to his king as a gift. Not long after that, the king notices the egg has grown. The scene changes to the king and some seers discussing what to do with it. They seem to arrive at the conclusion that when the egg is in the open, it grows, and one day will hatch. So the king orders the egg put into a box that won't allow the egg to grow.

The video ends and another window opens.

_You have acquired the egg of the Holy Dragon Thessalanos. _  
_This egg was created in the time before the races existed, before the gods descended on the world, before the time history was recorded. Since its creation it has laid dormant, unable to grow due to being bound. If not bound by ancient stone or wood it will grow until it is ready to hatch. _  
_Note: Because this egg was created in the time before the non dragon races it will not possess a natural hated for them. In the moment it is born it will seek one who it recognizes has the right one to raise it. This will either be a dragon or someone with an outstandingly high divine affinity._  
_Time till the egg hatches:420 days._

Don was amazed. The box contained the egg of a dragon so powerful, its life was sought after before it was even born. A dragon who would be loyal to him if he got a high holy affinity. Don decided he would do it, he would do everything in his power to obtain a high holy affinity. He wasn't worried about the egg. The time limit was outside of the box, after putting it back it, the timer would stop. Don had all the time in the world, and when he had finished, he would have his own dragon. Don smiled as he imagined how manly he would look riding the back of a scaley, majestic holy dragon. Not that Don knew what a holy dragon looked like. He imagined it may look something like the white Dragon Kay Bern.

Don lifted the wooden top of the box and put it back on the bottom, but it wouldn't fit. Don's heart almost stopped when he realized he had left the box out too long, it had swelled in size. Don quickly tried to press the top back down, but suddenly he heard a CRACK*. The wooden sides of the box had broken off, it wouldn't be a tight fit anymore.

Don felt all the blood rush to his head. Raising affinity was something that magicians who worked on a daily basis with the element had trouble with. Don had no way to keep the egg from growing. The only places with ancient stone or ancient wood were places with monsters too strong for Don to fight, he couldn't make another box.

Don whispered to Bob.

- Bob, how can I raise divine affinity quickly?

- Why? Something for a blade dancer quest?

- No, I opened the box. In it was a.. Well... I need really high divine affinity to be able to do something with it. Please?

- Hmm, alright, but I expect details later. I have a friend in the Church of Lu in the capital city of Sairei Kingdom. Talk to him.

- Thanks, I'll tell you everything later.

Don bought some supplies for traveling and started heading west for Sairie kingdom. It was one of the southern kingdoms that made up the central continent. Don sprinted, he didn't have a moment to lose, he had 420 days, about three and a half months in the real world to accumulate as much divine affinity as he could. What was worse was that he only had two weeks left until his college started for fall classes. He would have to go to class, go to work, study, sleep, and keep himself healthy while training for divine affinity. But Don wasn't going to back down. With the image of himself riding on the back of an awesome dragon as motivation, he knew he would do anything that could potentially raise his affinity, no matter how unmanly.


	11. Vol2 Ch1 The God of Light and Thieves

Vol2 Chapter1

The God of Light and Thieves  
After several weeks of travel, Don had reached Eisendol, the capital city of Sairei Kingdom. Sairei was an eastern kingdom, small but well located. To its west was the busy central kingdoms and to its east was the vast unexplored wilderness. Don came to meet a contact of a friend, the contact was a priest of the church of Lu, the god of Light.

Don's clothing looks like he had traveled to the kingdom in the mouth of a t-rex who treated Don like chewing gum the whole way. This was in fact, torn and tattered on purpose by Don to make him less noticeable. Since finishing the quest where he learned to play the lute had increase his charisma and charm stats, his overall attractiveness had become a problem. Although the wolf leather cloak that covered his head did turn people's head, they only looked once and moved on, a great improvement to having people continuously stare or even follow him.

That isn't to say he had an easy journey, but despite dying several time he had managed to level to 131 before arriving. Another 30 levels and he would be able to equip the moonlight blades he kept in his bag. Don traversed through the city to the doorway of the Temple of Lu. Beside the entrance was a grand relief carving of a warrior holding a spear with an image of the sun above him. In front of the temple was a line of people who 'donated' money to be blessed by the local clergy. Don entered the temple, besides various robed men walking around, inside stood a gold plated statue of Lu in the back.

_You have seen the Statue of Lu__+10 Str_  
_+10 Agi_  
_For a day_

There were many priests who were praying before it. Don walked up to a priest and said, "Do you know if Priest Brit is around?" The priest nodded and pointed to a robed man who sat at a nearby table writing documents with a feather pen. Brit was the name of the contact given to Don who may be able to help him raise his divine affinity.

Don walked up to the table and said, "Hello, my name is Don, a mutual friend, Bob, sent me."

Brit look up from the desk for a moment before going back to writing. He said, "Ah yes. So what can this humble servant of Lu do for you?"

"Well, I need as high a divine affinity as possible as fast as possible."

At Don's answer Brit halted his pen for a moment, only to dip it into the inkwell and continue writing before saying, "Well the fastest way to raise divine affinity in such a short period of time is to make a contract with a divine entity. This would give a boost to divine affinity and is the fastest way to raise it quickly."

Don gave a sigh of relief that such a method was possible, more thinking out loud than asking a question, Don said, "So all I have to do is make a few contracts with a few gods."

At this Brit's pen slide across the paper, his eyes wide with disbelief. He took a deep breath, set the paper aside and started a fresh one before saying calmly, "No. It doesn't work like that. Once you have a contract with a divine being, other would not make a pact with you so easily. And even if one did, the original god you made the pact with would be furious. You would at best be cursed and at worst be made to suffer horribly until you deleted your account. Gods do not take kindly to those who cheat on them."

Brit made it sound like gods were jealous girlfriends who went psycho at the drop of a hat. A few moments later another holy man, this one with a larger hat, approached Brit from behind. After getting Brit's attention, he quietly told him something Don couldn't hear while casting glances at Don. Brit's expression at whatever news the man had brought seem to shake him up far more than Don's outrageous claim had.

Brit set the pen in the inkwell and said, "Follow me, someone wants to speak with you."

Don realized that the man who had spoken to Brit had four paladins with him who each stared at Don, he wasn't being given the option to refuse. Don was escorted to a room behind the statue of Lu where the paladins and the man from before waited at the door but did not follow inside. There Brit brought him to another door and paused before opening it. He looked at Don and said, "If you speak falsely or ingenuously you may not return alive. The one inside has never asked to speak to an outsider before, I do not know why you have been summoned."

Don asked jokingly, "Who is it, the bishop or something?"

"No, the bishop was the man who told me to bring you here." Brit opened the door leaving Don to wander who gives orders to the bishop in this place. Brit did not follow inside and closed the door after him. The room was lit with candles, but otherwise empty, save a small statue of Lu at the end. Don figured either the person who wanted to meet him was on his way or that the person was already inside, watching him. Don looked around for a bit and concluded that he saw no one else inside.

He walked back to the door and a voice spoke from behind him.

-Not even a hello? That's quite rude of you.

Don turned back around, no one was there. While looking for the voice he said, "My apologies, I did not see you."

-Not see me? But I am here. As clear as the sun on a cloudless day.

The voice came from the back of the room, behind the statue of Lu.

-Still can't see me? Here, this should help.

The statue of Lu started glowing, now that he was looking at it, Don realized the voice was coming from the statue. Unfortunately this made his recall the unfortunate incident that took place the last time a statue talked to him, a memory that put him a bit off.

Still, Don composed himself and said, "Greetings almighty Lu, lord of light, son of the sun, god of the harvest and crafts."

-So you know a bit of me huh? I on the other hand know nothing of you. Yet as soon as you entered this temple I felt your presence. Not yours specifically but the presence of the object you carry with you. Then I heard of what you sought and thought I'd have a word with you. I hear all and see all within my temples, but this room is for private conversations, something I'm sure can appreciate. Now, why is it you seek such a high divinity, even to risk the wrath of the gods by forming multiple pacts. And does it have something to do with the object I sense you carry, the item that carries a holy energy more ancient that my own.

Don was told not to lie so he brought the egg out of his inventory and said, "This egg will hatch in 380 days. Within is a holy dragon that bares no hatred for the non dragon races. I wish to raise it for good once it hatches, but to qualify to raise it without being a dragon I need an outstandingly high divine affinity." It wasn't a lie, Don wasn't a bad person so if he raised it he wouldn't let it become bad, so technically he was 'raising it for good.'

-Hmm, a noble cause. But such a feat will not be simple or easy. And should you fail, you would unleash a dragon that could become the greatest enemy Versailles has ever faced. The risk is great, the reward may not be worth it.

"The chances of success would increase if I had a sponsor."

-Hmm? Make yourself clear.

"There is no way I can raise my divine affinity on my own, I need someone to guide me to raise my divine affinity as fast as possible."

-I see, and what would said sponsor receive as compensation?

"My loyalty, and by proxy, the loyalty of my dragon. Even if I can't get it to be loyal to the god in question, I can still help others within the church raise an affinity with it, gaining its friendship in times of peace and earning its power for when its needed."

-Hmm, I see. But you do not truly know what you are asking, do you know what divine affinity is?

"Affinity... to the divine?..."

-... Affinity is an understanding of similarities between two being and the closeness such understandings bring. Divine refers that which comes from a holy being. For example when that dragon hatches, it droppings would be classified as divine, for it comes from a holy being. To acquire divine affinity however means to gain the understanding that you share aspects of yourself with the aspects of a holy being, thus bringing you closer to said holy being. This is something that members of the church take years, if not decades to accomplish. Such aspects are generally good, so the higher one's divine affinity, the more likely the person is good.

Don asked, "In that case how does a pact work?"

-In a pact the divine being gives a part of itself to the contractor in return for a part of themselves, upon receiving this the contractor gains some aspects of the being, a direct way to get divine affinity.

Don didn't want to bring up making pacts with other gods, but it seemed like the only option. The temple of Freya was a few months journey to the north, but both Freya and Lu had conflicting dominion over the harvest, they were eachothers greatest rivals.

"Are there other ways to raise divine affinity besides understanding and pacts?" Don was desperate, he didn't expect an answer.

-Hmm, as a matter of fact, there is.

Don held his breath for a moment.

-When a god dies, they leave a part of themselves behind. If you kill a god and absorb this, it is little different than forming a pact, though one way. Divine affinity could be gained this way.

Don blinked once, then twice. "Kill a god? Is that possible?"

-Well we don't advertise it but yes, gods can be slain. It doesn't even take much to kill the minor ones if you do it right. A god's power on the mortal plain comes from the number of worshipper and contractors they possess. The fewer the number the weaker the god. The trick though is getting the weak or weakened god to come to you.

Don asked, "How do you do that?"

The statue remained quiet for a moment.

-You really wanna do this?

"If this is the only way to get divine affinity fast enough."

-Alright. There happen to be some minor gods trying to move in on my territory. Its to my benefit to remove them as well. If you agree to kill them, I'll lend you some aid.

Ding*

_Slay the Gods_  
_Lu, the god of Light has requested that you kill the lower gods that have encroached upon his territory. Accept and he will offer assistance._  
_Difficulty: Unknown_  
_Progress 00/19_

"It would be my honor to serve the lord of light."

_You have accepted the quest._

A point of light appeared before the statue and grew into a blinding sphere of light the size of an orange. A moment later it dimmed, as it was being enveloped by a white box that materialized around it.

-Take this, it is a small piece of my power. Any god that absorbs it will gain great power themselves. The box conceals its presence, but if opened near the shrine of another god, they will sense it and come in person, likely believing it was being offered to them as tribute. But be warned, should you allow this be absorbed by any god other than myself, you will be punished. Severely. Will you still take it?

Don didn't hesitate and grabbed the box. "I promise you this will be returned to you safely."

After taking it Don said, "Oh, should I make a pact with you or..."

-Safer not to for now. Absorbing the essence of others may be less effective if you are already under contract. In 380 days if you have done well by me, I will make a pact with you.

After thanking Lu, the god of light told him to wait in the main hall for something.

Don left the room to see that Brit was still there. The priest said, "You were in there for a while, I thought you may have been obliterated."

Don smiled weakly and said, "Not quite. I was asked to go kill some of Lu's competition though."

Don walked past Brit who could barely mouth the word, "What?!"

In the main hall, Don waited until two people walked up to him. The female priest said, "My name is Rose, Imma prophet of Lu." The paladin said, "I'm Tolan, an apostle of Lu."

Prophets were ones who spoke for their god, apostles were those who traveled for their god. Don had a feeling he knew where this was going.

Tolan said, "Lord Lu instructed us to accompany you on your journey. I'm to keep you safe and she'll relay Lu's instruction."

Don turned to Rose who smiled and said, "The first place Lord Lu said to go is the Den of forty thieves. A cave outside the city. The thieves within worship a fox god that grants them increased luck."

Don said, "So kill all the thieves inside to lower the power of the fox god, then lure it out and kill it."

She nodded. "Lu wanted to start you off with an easy one."

With that the pair moved to exit the temple with Don in tow. Don took one last look back inside to see Brit with his mouth agasp. He seemed to recognize the pair.

After leaving the city Don took off the ragged wolf leather cloak, revealing his appearance for the first time to the pair.

Rose said, "Oh ho, so you were hiding something good under there."

"If it is too distracting I'll put the cloak back on." Don replied.

"No, no. I prefer to be able to see your eyes."

Tolan caught a glance at Don but said nothing. It wasn't that he was holding back, he just didn't have an opinion on it. He did however want to know a bit more about his new companion before entering enemy territory. Tolan said, "So tell us more about yourself."

Don had a small hope that these two didn't judge books by their cover before explaining, "I'm a level 131 blade dancer. Although of the dancer class I am a combat oriented. I distract enemies during fights and draw their attention, preventing them from running away while I slash and dance."

Tolan only nodded, satisfied by the answer. Rose said, "Ohh, that's neat. First time I've seen a combat dancer."

Although she said it was her first time, she didn't seem surprised, neither did Tolon. Don sighed in relief.

The first thing Don noticed about the pair what that they were Users, not NPCs. Don didn't know however how strong they were or if their titled classes were different from ordinary priests and paladins.

Don started up a conversation. "So what can you tell me about the den of thieves?"

Tolan answered. "The bandit chief, the boss of the whole place is about level 200. His branch officers are about 170, and the regular thieves are about 150. They hire mercenaries of various skill levels to keep the place secure. The dungeon has five levels, each more dangerous than the previous one. If you are killed by a thief as opposed to a mercenary, the chances of you dropping items is higher. In total there are probably about 350 people inside."

Don took note of each fact, especially the last one. The valuable items in his inventory included his moonlight blades, dragon egg, and the essence of Lu. Losing any of them would be devastating, had he known about this beforehand he would have at least found a place to store the dragon egg and swords before coming.

By the time the group arrived it was an hour until sunset. Before entering however, Don said, "We should wait an hour and a half."

Tolan and Rose looked at each other, Rose asked, "What for?"

"I can give buffs that depend on the light in the sky. Tonight is a new moon so the brightest light will be the constellations. I don't know what but it could give an amazing buff."

Tolan asked, "How long does it last?"

"Two hours."

Rose and Tolan both nodded. They did not know what kind of skill had such a mechanism and they were curious enough to wait.

After the sun set and and the clouds parted, the stars shone brightly above them. They had already formed a party, so the buff would affect them as well. "Light of the Heavens."

A small constellation glowed brightly for an instant.

_Lyra Buff_  
_Music played has additional effects._

Don stood there, flabbergasted. Rose suddenly burst out laughing. After she calmed down she said, "It's August, Lyra, the Lyre is currently the brightest constellation."

Don meekly asked, "The Lyre?"

She answered, "Yea. According to mythology, after the musician Orpheus died, he and his lyre were brought up into the heavens by Zeus. So, does anyone here play an instrument?"

Don was the one who made the pair wait around for the buff so if he did nothing than he had made them wait for nothing. He brought out his lute and started playing a simple melody.

_Gift of Music_  
_While music is being heard, listeners receive 1.3x Gained Exp and a 7% increase to all stats._

Don stopped playing due to shock at the message, immediately the gift of music buff vanished. Rose and Tolan had similar reactions.

Tolan said, "Well, that was worth it. Keep that thing out and keep playing until the buff runs out."

Don started playing again, though he didn't really want to. The buff required Don to keep playing so, although he would receive exp for being in the party, he would not be able to directly fight until the buff wore out.

The group approached the entrance to the dungeon while being announced by music. The cave was not well known but it wasn't a secret either. A group of twelve people had gathered in front of the cave entrance to form a raiding party. They immediately noticed the trio's presence, not just from the music, but from the buff. The buff affected every listener, party, no party, friend and even foe alike.

One of the group members came over and addressed Tolan, likely thinking he was the captain of the group. He said, "That's an amazing bard you have there, would you like to join our guild's raiding party?"

Don kept silent, prompting Tolan to answer, "The ability to produce this buff will be lost in two hours. Also our group intends to go all the way to the deepest part of the dungeon to the boss's chamber."

The man remained pensive for a moment before saying, "This dungeon has recently fallen under our guild's jurisdiction, you are servants of Lu, yes? The boss's drops belong to our guild."

Tolan smiled, "Our group has no interest in the drops within this dungeon. Lu has proclaimed this dungeon's inhabitants to be worshippers of a false god and to be exterminated with extreme prejudice. We are to kill the false god within."

The man relaxed, he seemed to be hesitant in making an enemy out of a follower of Lu, but now he knew their goals would not conflict with each other.

The man said, "In that case I see no problems, we too head for the dungeon's basement. A bard, priest and paladin are more than welcome, you may stick with us as long as you wish."

Tolan nodded and the trio joined the raiding party.

The group stayed at the back of the party, with Tolan protecting and Don playing. Rose kept herself busy by healing anyone who came to her and buffing the whole lot. So unlike Don and Tolan, she was able to easily raise her skill proficiencies.

The first level had few thieves, mostly mercenaries whose levels were lesser or equal to Don's own. Another effect of playing the lute inside the dungeon was that it announced their presence within, calling every monster to them. The group swept through like a flood and in under thirty minutes the first floor was emptied.

Don had yet to see Tolan's skills but judging by the effectiveness of Rose's buffs and healing skill, she was over level 200, Tolan was likely about the same if not stronger. The pair could take out the entire place on their own.

The second floor took a little over an hour. The mercenaries were tougher and there were more thieves lurking in the shadows. Despite having a few priests of their own, Rose's ministrations still saved a few lives that would have been lost due to sneak attacks. No one complained though, although Rose and Tolan were among the exceptions, almost everyone had gained a level or two since entering the dungeon. Don was also among the exceptions. Experience from the raid is not distributed to those who don't deal damage, and Rose and Tolan's kills only included the few that made it through the rest so shared exp from them was no where near enough to boost Don's level.

Don could not do the same thing for too long without getting bored, this included playing music. At some point he got sick of hearing the melody he was playing so he tried to change it up. As long as he kept playing the buff would continue so if he had to play anyways he thought he might as well find something decent to play. He tried various patterns of chords and settled on an upbeat melody that was catchy and simple. After a while he slowly made it more complicated, he was working towards one of his minor goals of making a song for each dance he had. He was trying to find the right fit for Dance of the Fighter.

_You have learned new skill: Lute Playing_

About ten minutes before the buff would wear off and Don could start fighting he got a message saying he officially could play the lute. He did notice that it became easier to direct his fingers to play specific chords, like his fingers moved independently of his control to produce the sound he was thinking of without effort. Don sighed a bit, although this would make playing easier he wasn't looking forward to circumstances where he had to play.

A few minutes later the Lyra buff wore off and the gift of music buff along with it. The captain of the raiding party said, "Well nothing good last forever. Thanks be to you though, my guild has become stronger thanks to your bard and priest, stay with us as long as you like." he was talking to Tolan who nodded and said, "Very well, but you should know that our elf isn't a bard. You can thank him by letting him fight on the front lines, I'll join him."

The captain didn't seem to believe Tolan at first but then Don equipped his black swords and walked into combat. A bandit, two thieves and seven mercenaries were fighting the raiding party. Don started his dance of the fighter and approached the group of seven thieves. His movements looked quick and reckless, but it made one's heart beat faster because it was exciting, like watching dangerous action movie, but with rhythmic movements. Don slashed and parried and slashed, his swords were great for a level 50 but they didn't do much damage at these levels, he had to rely on criticals and counters to take down his targets as fast as possible.

The dance did not specify that it only affected party members, it affected all allies that saw the dance, because of this the entire raiding party that looked received a buff that increased attack and defense, it also stacked with the buffs from the priests and shamans in the group. Thanks to the skill Cross body parry which was always a counter and illusion steps which made after images that deceived the eyes, Don appeared to have higher attack and agility than he actually did. That and the fact that his dance distracted the enemy while buffing his allies made the group see the 'bard' in a new light.

Behind the group, Rose smiled and said to Tolan, "So that's a blade dancer huh?"

Tolan said, "Looks like this will be more interesting than I thought."

Rose perked up, "Yup, Lord Lu wouldn't have assigned us to assist a lost cause. Now don't you think it's about time for you to start? I don't need you back here and he is already up there."

Tolan nodded and took out his tower shield and broadsword, Rose gave him some buffs and he marched to the head of the battle.

Three minutes later the floor was cleared. Buffed by Rose, Tolan's might squashed the thieves and mercs like bugs. A few of the raid members stared in disbelief and shock. Several of the mercenaries were planted into the walls by the power of Tolan's shield bash alone. It was a bit awkward for him so he returned to the back of the group to the sound of Rose's giggling.. Tolan decided he would simply wait until they reached the final boss room.

The fourth floor had mostly groups of level 170 bandits and mercenaries. Don stayed in the front lines but was barely able to do any damage. Without illusion steps he would have been killed already. He still wanted to increase his skill proficiency.

_Skill Level up: Illusion Steps: 6__Skill Level up: Dance of the Fighter: 2_

Thanks to the constant healing and defense buffs from Rose, Don lived and even managed to gain two levels before they went to the fifth and final floor.

Tolan took point and dealt with about a third of the powerful bandits, mercenaries, and even assassins that came the party's way. Thanks to this, the weaker members of the group, like Don, were able to fight on the front like without being overwhelmed and ripped to small pieces.

_Your Blade Dancing has reached level 10, and becomes Intermediate_  
_You can now create your own unique blade dances with unique effects__You have learned new skill: Dance of scattering light_

In the pause between battles, Don opened up his skill window to see the new skill.

_Dance of Scattering Light [1] 0%_  
_While dancing in a bright area your swords can reflect light into your enemy's eyes, blinding them and lowering their accuracy._  
_Mana Cost: 1 per second, 5 per enemies blinded_  
_While blinded enemy accuracy lowered by 20% for 20 seconds._

The skill seemed useful but in a dimly lit cave it was worthless. Looking directly into the torches that lined the walls wouldn't blind you, the reflected light wouldn't even make you blink.

The group made it into the bosses chamber, only two less than the original number that first came. The boss, a named bandit chief named Loden, called out, "Dogs of Lu, I'll have your heads!"

Since a paladin was in front he seemed to misinterpret their intentions, not that it mattered. Tolan and the guild captain already agreed that Tolan could take out as many as he wanted in the bosses room save the boss himself who was to be left to the guild. Don joined him and attracted the guard to them as Tolan took them out. Rose healed as necessary and the trio took out the twenty bandits and assassins before the guild killed the bandit chief.

Don walked up to the guild captain and said, "I'm going to call the secret boss, you wanna stick around and help or watch?"

He answered, "Just watch, we're pretty tired."

"Hey Don, we found it." Rose called out that her and Tolan found the shrine. It was small, but unmistakable, a red fox statue in front of an ornate carpet. Don took out the box with Lu's essence and opened it. The bright light shined from the box, and a moment later, a fire materialized in the air above the shrine.

- What is this power? An offering?

A disembodied voice came from the flame that hovered above the statue. A moment later the flame erupted and spread out, an enormous fox with bright red fur appeared, a golden name glowed above its head, Ketsune. It spoke, "Give that to me, and I shall make you rich beyond measure."

Don closed the box and put it back in his inventory. "I didn't come here for riches, I came for your head, if you want the box, you'll have to kill me."

The fox fire burned around it and it leaped towards Don, however Tolan blocked it with his shield, the tower shield rang loud but it held. Don slashed the fox's side, something that seemed to deliver damage that surprised both Don and the fox. It jumped away but Don gave chase, the fox wordlessly cast fire magic but Don used Fiery Dance to absorb and deflect it. Tolan realized after blocking the charge how weak the fox had become with most of its followers dead and didn't see the need to assist Don.

Don tried various skills but direct attacks seemed the only effect means of dealing damage. The fox had a fire affinity that prevented fiery dance from hurting it, its mental stats were so high that dance of death didn't affect it, and it was cunning enough to see through illusion steps. However because Don was able to deflect the fox fire, Ketsune also had to rely on straight forward attack. Thus is was a war of attrition between a dancer with low level swords and a fox god whose strength had been lost. Because Don's dances blocked, deflected, or parried most attacks, the fox god received more attacks than it gave, and after five minutes, it had died.

_Quest Update: Slay the Gods_  
_Lu, the god of Light has requested that you kill the lower gods that have encroached upon his territory. Accept and he will offer assistance._  
_Progress 01/19__You have gained a level!_  
_You have gained a level!_  
_You have gained a level!_

The fox dropped a pelt, a knife, a pair of rubies, and a glowing gem. Don picked them all up.

_You have obtained the spirit of Ketsune!_  
_New Stat: Luck_  
_Luck increased by 20 (+20 LUK)_  
_Intellect increased by 10 (+10 INT)_  
_Wisdom Increased by 10 (+10 WIS)_  
_Critical chance increased by 1%_  
_Your divine affinity has increased_

Affinity didn't have a numerical value so he wouldn't know whether or not he had enough until the egg hatched. that being said, he was blown away by the other effects and that he obtained the Luck stat that elves weren't born with. Don muttered to himself, "Killing gods is good business."

Don checked on the other loot, the rubies were one thing, but he wanted to see the fur. "Identify."

_Giant Pelt of the Fox god_  
_High Grade sewing materials._  
_Should not be handled by those without intermediate level sewing skills_  
_Effects unknown._

He hoped he could get someone whose skill was better than his to make some stiff leather armor from it to replace his current equipment.

Tolan walked up to Don and said, "We need to get you some new swords." Don said nothing, he had another 25 levels to go before 160 and he couldn't wait that long if he wanted to kill more gods. At least with the rubies he would be able to acquire enough gold to get something decent.

The trio left the dungeon along with the guild and later Don logged out. Tomorrow was the first day of the fall semester and he had to get some sleep.


	12. Vol2 Ch2 How to Make a Blade Dance

Vol 2 Chapter 2  
How to make a Blade Dance  
Don starts his first day of fall classes without much enthusiasm. Going to school is an investment into the future but not one he was willing to go broke over. This semester he signed up for nine hours at a community college and only for classes that were on the same day, in this case, monday.

His first class started at 9am, engineering graphics and design, a class that taught the basics of designing blueprints and schematics for complex mechanical designs on a computer. Since working on Bob's automaton and going over the artificer book Bob gave to him, Don had become interested in mechanical engineering. If this class went well he might even go from undeclared major to an engineering major.

The class was however, small. Six people signed up for the classes, all of which he had never seen before.

The teacher said to the class, "Hello, who here plays Royal Road?"

Don smiled, not because he played Royal Road, but because he thought what the teacher was doing was amusing. Royal Road was insanely popular and by bringing up such an interesting topic right off the bat, he had the whole class's attention.

The other five students raised their hands, so, in this case so he wouldn't stand out, Don raised his as well. The teacher seemed pleased that six of six played so he continued. "Can anyone here tell me how could this class be beneficial to you for playing Royal Road?"

None of the students raised their hands. Don had a few idea, which this class he would know how to use his home computer to make schematics for personal creations using artificing in Royal Road, but he didn't want to draw too much attention to himself so early. Showboating was not something he considered manly.

The teacher continued, "Well it is very useful for my class. I'm an Architect in Royal Road with quite a bit of fame in Rosenheim kingdom. When I get a quest to build a house, a monument, or even a castle, I first create the blueprints with the software you'll be learning to use. I use the proper programs to test the integrity, and afterwards I build it in Royal Road. Since starting, not one of my pieces has fallen. Which of course increases my fame further."

Although it was unlikely that any of the students were architects it still successfully connected the importance of the material to be taught with something they were all related to.

Don decided to ask a question, "How complicated of a blueprint will we be able to make on a computer?"

The teacher replied with a question of his own. "How complicated are we talking about?"

"Automatons or intricate gadgets." Don replied.

The students didn't know if that related to royal road until the teacher said, "Oh, I see, you're an artificer right? Well given practice you will be able to make highly complex blueprints. As long as you aren't talking about computational parts, this class should have everything you need."

Don didn't see a need to correct him for now, it was less embarrassing than the truth. Though as a consequence he attracted the attention of the class, though only for a moment.

The rest of the day wasn't nearly as interesting, world history and english 2 were overviews of things he had long since memorized, but he needed the core credits no matter what degree he choose.

Don returned home at 7pm and started on his homework, read a 40 page story for english class and chapter 1 of his world history textbook. Not that he had actual textbooks. It had been decades since laws were passed to save trees and stop the printing of paper textbook. Nowadays all students had tablets that the textbooks were stored inside after purchasing them. Don once heard that in the past people actually forced their children to carry up to ten kilograms of textbooks in packs to school they wore on their backs. And people wondered why they grew up with back problems.

After he finished at 10pm, he ate dinner and entered his capsule, he wanted to spend as much time as he could in there, and tonight he had about four hours, sixteen on RR.

Don strolled through the Eisendol marketplace to the blacksmith's weapon shop. There were other stores that sold weapons, but although more expensive, the ones at a blacksmith shop usually had the highest durability.

He settled on a light sword that had forty attack and bought two of them. They weren't cheap but he had over 600 gold after selling the pair of rubies dropped by the fox god, and the swords were only 60 gold a piece. Don next went to the local tailor.

The selection was high quality and used upper tier materials. Don was satisfied he had found the right place. Don took off the armor he stole from a blade dancer's grave and the fox's oversized pelt. The leather armor still had a rainbow like sheen that was very eye catching in the right light.

The tailor came out to greet Don who said, "Hello, I would like an armor like this one here to be made from this pelt."

The tailor looked at Don and the items and said, "Fox hide eh, will it be for you?"

Don nodded. The tailor continued. "I will have to measure you. Since you have provided the materials I will only charge the cost of treating and working the materials, as well as my time."

Don suddenly had an idea. "Can I help?" He wanted to know more about making leather armor so now was as good a time as any.

The tailor said, "You do seem to have some experience tailoring. Alright, if you help tan it, I'll make this pelt into a solid, vibrant chest armor for 95 gold pieces."

Don extended his hand, "We have a deal." Which the tailor promptly shook. He took Don into the back, a large room with many knives, tables, and barrels. He took Don to a water barrel, tossed the pelt into it and threw in some ground up wood chips. "You know how to tan, yes?"

"Yessir, I know when to add more wood and how to stir." The tailor nodded and left to go back to the front counter. Don took a wooden paddle and started stirring. The bark of wood had a water soluble compound which is used to tan, treat skin for leather work. In an hour Don would add more wood bark chips. The slower the amount of the compound in the water was added, the better the compound leached into the skin, and the better the quality of the tanned hide. In real life this would take weeks, but in RR, Don would be done tanning in three hours.

After continuous stirring and occasionally adding more wood chips to increase the density of the tanning compound, the skin had changed to the right color and Don knew it was finished. He removed the water from the hide and washed it before letting it dry. Again this would take much longer in real life, but in RR in only took a few minutes. When the hide was dry and slightly stiff he applied oil to it to make it softer. After this it could be worked into a hard leather. But the working of it into a hard leather armor was the part that required sewing skills higher than his own so he called the tailor.

"Good, good, now you wanted this to have a glossy sheen like the one you showed me yes?" The tailor confirmed Don's request before moving on. After Don nodded the tailor brought some measuring tools and measured Don's sizes. Don had once read that tailors had a skill that allowed them to see a person's stats while they measured them which allowed them to make equipment that bore level requirements that matched their level, making the strongest equipment for them that they could wear immediately.

After confirming the sizes the tailor went to a closet that had several wooden mannequins and got one that matched Don's proportions. After which he measured the hide to see how much of it was usable for chest armor. However because it was from a giant fox, even accounting for the shrinkage there was enough leather for two pieces of armor. So the tailor cut it in half and set one part aside. He dipped the leather in a pot of boiling water for ten seconds before removing it and quickly bringing over to the mannequin. He strapped the leather to it and waited. The leather slowly constricted, forming itself to the mannequin. After it settled the tailor cut off the excess and left it there. He then got the other half of the tanned leather and dunked it into the pot of boiling water, but this time he left it in there for thirty seconds. After bringing it out he strapped it to the mannequin over the first piece of leather, but he did so loosely. The skin shrunk but this time to an even greater degree, there was almost no excess left to cut off, and what was cut off had to be cut with a sharp knife due to the thickness of the leather. After it settled the tailor coated the interior in wax and the exterior in some oil.

He then went to Don and said, "As you could see there was enough leather to make a two layered armor. The inner layer is stiff but flexible while the outer is rigid. Combining two different types into the same piece is a specialty of mine and increases the defense and durability greatly. Of course it is twice as heavy, but it is still much lighter than a steel breastplate and you will have no problem equipping it. To make the gloss you want the oil must soak into the fur before waterproofed which will take some time. Come back later and it will be finished."

Don logged out and went to sleep. It was 2am and he had work from 10am to 8pm for the next three days.

Fewer and fewer people were taking broken capsules to the electronic store Don worked at so he wasn't needed to fix them for resale as often which meant he was no longer free from the mundane tasks assigned by his supervisor. The other thing that had changed was that one of his coworkers quit and today he had to train the new guy, or in this case, girl. Eugine worked the late shift so he wouldn't see him for a while, meaning Don was stuck with her and his lazy supervisor.

"Hello, my name is Miranda." She greeted him with a smile.

"Don, nice to meet you." After the cordial greetings Don went about showing Miranda the ropes. She took to it well and didn't require much help. Later when Eugine came inside he asked, "Hey Don, where are you in Royal Road, I need some extra manpower for a quest I'm doing."

"Sairei Kingdom," he replied, "though I can't help you for now, I got a long quest to do given to me by the church and got till the end of november to finish it."

Eugine looked taken back, "Quest? That's more like a pilgrimage. I've never heard of a quest that takes three months to finish."

"The deadline is independent of the quest but needs to be met all the same. If I succeed I'll get something awesome."

Eugine looked like he wanted to ask what but reframed, it was rude to ask for specifics if they weren't given. Miranda however asked a different question, "Which church, the church of Lu?"

Don realized she was eavesdropping but didn't mind too much, "Yea, the church is helping me out."

She nodded, "I've heard mixed things about them. They help those in need and such, but they are unlikely to help those who are not followers of the church of Lu."

Don nodded, "Yea, I made a deal with... One of the higher ups of the church. He helps me gets something awesome, then when I have it I will use it to help the church of Lu, after officially becoming a follower."

The chat between the three revolved around Royal Road for the rest of the day. Miranda was a level 210 knight who was off exploring the eastern frontier. An image of her in shining armor wielding a greatsword or spear, riding into battle atop a horse rode through his head. At first he thought he should chastise himself for the thought, but then he remembered he was no longer in a relationship. His last girlfriend got accepted on full scholarship into a top tier university, but not one that was close by. She figured a long distance relationship wouldn't work so she broke up with him and moved away over the summer.

At 9pm Don got home and went through his pre-RR routine. He ate dinner, took a shower and got into his capsule. The next day and the day after he also worked ten hour shifts, but after that he was free for the next three days before monday to play RR as long as he could. But for tonight at least, 2am was the stopping point.

Don logged in and went straight to the Tailor's shop. The leather armor had been tooled and cut into a seamless work or art. Although the colors of the outer fur were not as vivid as his previous armor, the red fox hide's fur seemed to have dozens of different hues of red gloss which made it just as striking to the eye as his other.

The tailor handed over the armor for Don to inspect. "Identify."

_Divine Fox Hide Armor._  
_Durability 90/90_  
_Defense 35_

_Leather armor tooled from the hide of a fox god, made with a stiff outer layer and softer inner layer making it resilient and flexible. Made by an experienced tailor to have a glossy sheen._

_Requirements:_  
_Level 135_  
_145 Strength_  
_95 Agility_

_Effects:_  
_Fire does not affect the durability of the armor._  
_Greatly reduces the chance of receiving a critical hit_  
_+30 Wisdom_

Before taking Don's money the tailor said, "You know I'd be willing to buy this off you. This came out better than I thought and I'd be able to sell it for plenty. I'll give you 550 gold for it."

Don wasn't surprised by the offer, what he was surprised by was that the tailor could make it with a straight face. Other effects aside, resistance to critical hits was likely a hidden property of the fox god that the tailor didn't know would come out and that made the armor unique and invaluable. The tailor would likely ask over a thousand gold for it, and get it too, but Don would not sell it, he needed it to survive what was to come.

"I'm sorry but I'll be keeping it." Don said as he handed the tailor the payment for the work. The tailor nodded and took it, he likely hadn't expected Don to yield it. "I understand, but if you come across any more unique leathers, please bring them by, I would love to buy them."

Don kept that in mind as he left. He still had ten hours before he had to go to sleep and wanted to spend it wisely. Rose and Tolan weren't on at night so he would wait until his workdays were over before getting on to the next god on their hit list. For now he wanted to find a spot to train.

After asking around he found that the forest south of the city had a dense monster population. However half an hour after he left the city he noticed he was being followed. It was only a pair but Don was traveling off the beaten path without anywhere specific in mind as a destination so it was unlikely they were simply going the same direction.

Don wondered what the manliest thing to do was and decided simply to confront them.

"What do you want?" he asked.

However as soon as he turned around to ask he realized he was mistaken about the number. There were six following him, and the other four all had the telltale red diamond, the mark of a murderer on their foreheads and names that glowed red above their heads.

One of the two without the mark came forward and said, "Hand over everything you have and we won't kill you."

Don brandished his swords, he wasn't going down without a fight. However two of the group were clearly thieves while two others were assassins. From their equipment they were all a higher level than he was, but that wasn't the problem. When someone dies they drop items, what they drop is usually random, the chance of him dropping his egg, the essence of Lu, his armor or hardlight swords was relatively low considering he was almost a hoarder and his inventory was filled with random japtem. However a thief with enough skill can take items off a dead body, not all of them, but it increased the chances of him losing something that could not be replaced should he fall. He remembered the new dance he acquired that would blind his enemies, but they were already in the forest and not enough light shown through the leaves. Don focused his mind and started dancing.

The two thieves started laughing, "What is he doing?"

"Who cares." Said the assassin. The group surrounded Don and started moving in. To them Don's dance appeared slow and easy to predict. One of the thieves jumped behind him

Don slashed him twice before the thief could retreat, not that anyone but the assassins saw the attack.

"What the hell?! Everyone, Get him!" Don's dance of death struck out when the thief approached but it wasn't omni-directional, he immediately switched to fiery dance. The two swordsmen however blocked his flaming strikes leaving the remaining thief and assassins to attack him without worry.

Don was struck several times without getting a single attack in.

_Perseverance has increased by 1 (+1 PER)_

Don moved slower, his health was dropping rapidly. Then he disappeared. Using illusion steps to fake going one way while going the other, he moved behind the swordsmen and drove his burning blades into the pair.

_Critical Hit!__Critical Hit!_

The pair caught on fire and Don moved to attack the thieves who still hadn't realized what happened. He charged forward but again used illusion steps to fake them out and attack their blind spots. The one he had attacked before died and the other caught on fire. The two swordsmen started striking him again but again Don faked them out, though this time to the opposite side. The fire of Don's blades went out due to lack of mana but now he could manage. Burns lowered attack so the swordsmen could no longer fully parry Don's strikes leading to their deaths.

_You have gained a level!_

The second thief died from the flames leaving only the two assassins. The first spoke while wheezing, "What the hell is going on?! Why can't we get any critical hits?!"

They continued to strike him but without flinching he struck them back and in short order killed one. When he longer believed he could win the last assassin fled. Don didn't show it but his life had dropped to less than fifty and he was bleeding, he would be dead in a few seconds so he chose not to pursue.

He quickly got out bandages and herbs to perform first aid. He had treated himself enough times to get the bandaging skill but it was only high enough to stop the bleeding, though for now that was exactly what he needed.

Don knew he was lucky to say the least. From his sister he learned that their are many builds of assassins. The pair he fought likely relied on agility and luck instead of agility and strength. That type relied on dealing a barrage of critical hits incredibly fast, but as of thirty minutes ago Don had a high resistance to criticals. Of course even the fox hide's hidden property couldn't make him fully immune, but with his charm stat it practically did. One of the effects of charm was reducing the chance of receiving a critical hit.

Of course that alone wasn't the reason Don survived. He brought out his flaming dance as a distraction, allowing the swordsmen to focus on the pattern of the dance's attacks to predict Don's movements. After they were blocking Don's strikes before they even happened he used illusion step to use their preconceptions of what they thought he would do against them. Most people have one method of fighting, but Don learned through trial and error that by using different dances he could trip his opponent up and make them attack or defend how he wanted them to. After he struck them they were burned and defending in the manner that best suited a dance he was no longer using. Such things are hard to overcome unless you train for it.

Don picked up the treasure trove of loot the fallen had dropped. Those with murderer marks lose more items when they die.

_Silent boots_  
_Durability 34/50_  
_Defense 15_  
_Boots made to erase the sound of steps_  
_Requirements:_  
_Level 160_  
_50 AGI_

_Effects:_  
_Muffles the sound of foot steps, makes you harder to be detected by sound_

_Black Cloak_  
_Durability 12/40_  
_Defense 20_  
_Requirements:_  
_Level 100_  
_A cloak that had been dyed black to make the wearer less visible_

_Sword of Dol_  
_Durability 40/55_  
_Damage 60~65_  
_This sword once belonged to the swordsmen Dol_  
_Requirements_  
_Level 170_  
_100 STR_

_Effects:_  
_Greater chance of scoring critical hits_

_Moger Fur_  
_Fur from a recently hunted Forest moger_

Neither of the swordsmen's name were Dol, the sword was likely stolen. The boots and cloak Don would keep but the sword and japtem he'd sell. His moonlight blades had lower requirements and were better anyways.

However the whole thing left a bad taste in Don's mouth. If those assassins had a different build, if the swordsmen had been just a little bit stronger of the thieves just a little bit quicker he would be dead. A highway robbery isn't that uncommon, but Don didn't like the coincidence that they came across him while he carried items that had a value of thousands of gold. That and he didn't encounter them along a road, they had been following him since he left the city. Why follow a single elf just because he has a slightly nice piece of armor?

At first Don considered that the tailor could've sent them for the fox hide armor, but he dismissed the idea, the tailor knew that critical hits would not work on him and if he hired them he probably would've told them. It could've been retaliation from the den of thieves, but they would not have asked him to turn over all his items, they would've killed him without a word. Don mused the thought that Smith sent them because he had second thoughts about giving someone hardlight equipment. Perhaps the gnomes had discovered that Don had given him an artificing journal and sent the thieves to retrieve it before their secrets got out. The last thing he could think of was maybe the church of Lu, or maybe a rival of Lu's had sent them to get the essence of Lu from him.

There were too many suspects and not enough info, the best thing he could do was ask the next guys who would come. Don had a small regret about letting the assassin go, he would report all of Don's tricks to whoever hired him, but it was a pointless regret. All the slain were users and would return in four days to report anyways.

Don found a quiet spot to slowly recover and think about what to do next. Of course he had to confront the challenge head on, it was against his manly code to back down, but that didn't mean he had to commit suicide. He had to figure out how to next defeat them. The blade dance, Dance of Scattering Light would be useful but only if Don was out in the sun. However Don then remembered that other than get a new skill, when his blade dancing reached intermediate he gained the ability to create new blade dances. While he could use weapons with normal dances like dance of death as he had just done, it wasn't as strong for attacking as Fiery Dance. Don remembered that he was also able to use it to deflect fire magic before.

According to Rose, the next target was an Eagle god. Don decided it would be best if he could create a dance that attacked with wind. Of course he had no idea how to create a dance skill.

Don spent the rest of that day's time in Royal Road trying to make a dance that used wind. After logging out, going to sleep, going to work and returning he did the same.

Don practiced in the forest, since it was fall, leaves were dropping frequently and Don used this to his advantage. He tried to make movements with his swords that not only attacked those around him, but also sent leaves that were close to him far away with air currents. After ten hours of practicing he finally figured out the movements, an accelerating spiral motion, that would send leaves away, however the the system never registered it as a skill. But he knew what to do.

After a few hours of watching leaves falling and watching the wind carry them, he heard a melody in the air. Don was taught the importance of music to a dance so after figuring out the movements to the dance he got out his lute and starting composing the song he heard on the wind. Since obtaining the skill, Lute playing, the act of playing a lute had become considerably easier in game, although he knew what his hands were doing, the system provided minute assistance to the finer movements and chord strumming order. By the end of thursday night, he had the melody of the song down. However it wasn't enough. The bard who taught him said that a song needs lyrics, or at the very least a story. So Don made up a story about a breeze and a cloud who fell in love and were separated by fate, never to see each other again. It was corny but after being dumped he was able to put some strong emotions into it. After a few adjustments to make the melody fit the story he received a message.

Ding*

_You have composed a song. _  
_Melody of the Wind_  
_This song speaks of the freedom as well as the loneliness of the wind_

_Special Effects:_  
_Party members who hear this song played will have their health and mana regeneration increased by 10% and resistance to wind based magic increased by 15% for 2 hours _  
_Number of songs composed: 1_

_Lute Playing has reached level 2_  
_This allows you to play more difficult music._

_- Fame + 50_  
_- Charisma + 3_  
_- Charm + 3_

Don almost smacked his head. He didn't want to actually make a song, he didn't want higher charisma and charm, and he especially didn't want a reason to play the lute in parties. He sighed deeply and accepted that what's done is done, and if the song was made official, then the dance may work out as well.

Don did his wind dance beneath a tree with falling leaves. The motions were seamless and when he wanted he could send a falling leaf a meter away with the current released from his sword's movements.

Ding*

_You have created a blade dance. _  
_Gale Dance_  
_Can only be used while dancing_  
_Envokes the spirit of the wind within your dance. Swords deal wind damage in addition to regular combat damage._  
_Mana Cost: 10 per second_  
_Can cast Gale Blade while performing Gale Dance_  
_Gale Blade Mana Cost: 50_  
_- Fame + 80_  
_- Charisma + 2_  
_- Charm + 2_  
_- Wisdom + 5_

Don immediately started practicing. Currents of air wrapped around his swords and when he moved with the practiced motion, the air around his sword was sent across the forest. Upon impact the gale blade scarred whatever it hit with dozens of slashes that seemed to be carried by the wind. The wind around his blades themselves was not as damaging as the fire of his fiery dance but it has other beneficial effects. Don noticed that the leaves around the wind wrapped blades were blown away violently, the air currents affected anything in the air around them. Don smiled, this would be very useful for long range attack and defense.

Don logged off at 2pm and went to bed. Tomorrow he had neither work nor school so Rose, Tolan and himself would head for the next god in the morning.


	13. Vol2 Ch3 Manliness Vs Brawn

Vol2 Chapter 3  
Manliness Vs Brawn  
Don logged onto Royal Road a couple hours earlier than usual. Previously while looking for shops he found a craft shop whose inventory gave him some ideas. After spending about an hour 'browsing' in shops throughout the city, he stopped at an overpriced Inn and rented a room for the next two nights.

The room was pretty nice, a big bed, a nice table, ornate rug, and a small locked chest in the corner. Don took out the craft supplies and a journal.

_Master Folren's Artificing Journal_  
_Before he became a master, artificer Floren did many experiments in his youth. The many trials, errors, and successes of those early years are recorded here._  
_Gives basic understanding of beginner and intermediate level artificing._

Don's artifice skill was still beginner level 1, he needed to increase it a bit for the project he had in mind. He had a the whole night before he was leaving to kill the eagle god with Rose and Tolan. Don opened up the book and turned to a page with a certain schematic. Don didn't know who Master Floren was but he must've been a bit of an eccentric. The journal had dozens of ideas, some detailed, some vague, but each was interesting. It showed a progression of the writer's understanding of artificing. The further along in the book, the more advanced the ideas. Don's project was on page 30, to get a fundamental idea of how to build it, he needed to work with the basics by building a few of the toys on page 17.

_Page 17_  
_Stun bolts. _  
_Materials:_  
_-2 thin pure iron spikes_  
_-1 type E material wrap (For the positive charge)_  
_-1 type F material wrap (For the negative charge)_  
_-1 type K material wrap (For insulation)_  
_-1 Glass cylinder_  
_Sygs required: Plus charger, Minus Charger, Hold Charge, Release Charge._

The blueprints included a something that looked like an ancient capacitor that discharged between a pair of spikes. The sygs were artificing symbols that could be input into an item which gave it another property. Marking each spike with a charge syg would cause them to slowly build up a charge of that type. The hold charge syg would prevent it from dissipating, and the release charge syg was set to activate if something made contact with the two exposed spikes, canceling the hold syg.

Don spent the next few hours making half a dozen stun bolts.

_Skill level up: Artifice [2]_

From what Don understood, stun bolts were tazers that charged themselves from the static electricity in the air, but took a few hours to charge and only had one use before needing to charge up again. They dealt physical lightning to whatever they were stabbed into.

After Don figured he was ready, he turned to page 30. Don shook his head in wonder, as to what the circumstances were that lead Floren to need to make one of these.

Another hour and a half later Don finished and locked the chest in his room. One of the most useful things about a room with a chest was that anything he put in there stayed in there if he died. It was the best protection for against being stalked by thieves.

Don left the Inn and met up with Rose and Tolan at the exit to the city. Rose perked up at Don's arrival. "Good morning. Ready?"

Don answered, "Yep, today is a bad day to be a nomad."

As a prophet of Lu, Rose was in direct contact with the god. He relayed information about the next target to her and she told everyone else. The eagle god was worshiped by a group of traveling nomads. Passing through wouldn't have been a problem but they decided to stay in the land governed by Lu. Even that wasn't a big deal for Lu, but then the nomads started spreading their beliefs to the locals of the area, and that was something Lu would not tolerate.

The group started down the main road of Sairei. It was well traveled by merchants and adventurers alike. After an hour Tolan casually said, "We're being followed."

Don nodded, "Ya."

Rose looked more interested than worried. Although the road had many people travelling with many others in the same direction, people who stayed the same distance from you for a while no matter how fast or slow you moved stood out.

Tolan asked, "Friends of yours?"

"No. A few days ago a group of thieves tried to rob me. They didn't get what they wanted and didn't seem like the type to give up after one try."

Tolan seemed amused, "So what did they get?"

Don smiled, "Nothing, but a few of them left their equipment behind, this cloak for example."

Tolan seemed to just notice that Don was wearing a black cloak, afterwards he burst out laughing. He asked, "So any preferences on what to do with them?"

Don opened his inventory and checked the status of the stun bolts.

_Stun bolts [6]_  
_Charge 63%_  
_A glass cylinder that takes static electricity from the air and stores it. When the exposed end comes into contact with anything it will discharged._

_Deals 1329 Lightning damage at 63% charge_

Don said, "Need them to follow for another hour or so. After that it doesn't matter."

Tolan nodded without asking why. After three more hours the group turned onto a smaller road that lead to the nomad village. No one followed.

* * *

Hob sat at the table of a cheap Inn at Eisendol watching a magic crystal in the corner. Many places in RR had such things that acted as TVs within the virtual reality. Of course they didn't play live TV, if they did it would move 4x slower than normal. From what Hob could tell, four shows were simultaneously recorded from different popular channels, and played one after another in RR. Of course such things weren't that interesting, but Hob had a lot of time to think while waiting for orders from his guild officer.

Earlier today he found the elf in possession of the target wandering around Eisendol. It wasn't exactly hard, that pretty-boy stood out in a crowd like a floodlight at night. He followed him to the expensive Inn next door where the guy rented a room upstairs. Earlier the elf had somehow wiped out the previous group that was tasked to acquire the target so the bosses were being more cautious. From the guild chat of the guys tailing him, Hob learned that the elf was traveling with a priest and paladin of the church of Lu. The church was not an organization to be messed with. Even if they could kill the group, if the pair were active members, killing them would put the guild in a bad position with the church. They were told to back down and observe for a while.

-Hob you still at the Inn?

Hob sighed.

-Yea, still here.

-Josel's group lost the target off the main road. You said before that the elf rented a room at the Elwind Inn right?

-Yep.

-Those rooms have chests with intermediate level locks. A good place to put something for safe keeping, right?

Hob smiled, it was about time he got to do something.

Hob saw the Innkeeper take the key off the rack that he gave to the elf. The empty space had the room number, telling Hob which door it unlocked. Hob could just pick the door, but if someone in the hall came or went while he was doing it, guards would be called and Hob wouldn't get away. He equipped some formal looking clothes and waited outside the Inn for someone to leave. After a pair walked out, Hob waited a few more minutes and walked up to the Innkeeper. Before saying anything he took out a map and placed it on the counter.

"Excuse me sir, a pair I was supposed to meet left from here a few minutes ago and I just missed them. I think they was going to a nearby restaurant, could you show me where the best ones are around?"

The Innkeeper looked down at the detailed map of Eisendol for a moment before frowning. He couldn't understand it upside down, so he came over to the other side of the counter and pointed at several spots. Hob thanked him and walked away. Hopefully it would take the innkeeper a while to realize the master key was no longer in his pocket. Without being noticed Hob walked up the stairs and made his way to the elf's room. The master key unlocked it and Hob walked in.

The bed looked like it hadn't been used yet but their were some small bits of metal and tools on the table. Hob made his way to the chest and inserted his lock picking tools, but instead of fidgeting around, he merely said, "Unlock."

_Infamy rises by 3 (+3 INF)_

The chest clicked and Hob smiled. When your Unlock skill is a great deal higher than the level of the lock, you don't have to manually pick it.

Hob raised the lid of the chest, causing four spikes to shoot out and pierce Hob's formal attire.

_You lost 1550 Health Points (-1550 Health)_

Hob cursed himself, he couldn't believe the elf boobytrapped his chest. Of course even as a thief, his health wasn't that low as to die from a trap that was so weak.

Click*

Hob went pale at the sound as he noticed that the iron spikes that were sticking from his chest had strings attached to them, metallic string.

Before he could remove the spikes he was electrocuted.

_You are paralyzed_

_You cannot move_

_You lost 756 Health Points (-756 Health)_

_You lost 811 Health Points (-811 Health)_

_You lost 782 Health Points (-782 Health)_

_You lost 759 Health Points (-759 Health)_

He couldn't move and he was losing hundreds of health points a second. He could nothing but watch as his health bar went to zero. In his last moment he noticed that the chest's contents had four glass jars, each connected by a wire to the mechanism that shot the bolts were lodged in his chest.

* * *

Don's group made its way to the nomad campsite outside a small village. Rose asked, "Moment of truth. A few of the villagers are followers of the that eagle god. If we kill all the followers the eagle will be just as weak as that fox was, if not, it won't be as easy."

Don passed Rose and Tolan two stunbolts each. "Then if we raise the odds in our favor, we don't need to kill the villagers. These won't be able to deal too much damage to a god, but if any of us can stick it with one of these, it should be at least partially paralyzed and unable to fly away."

Don had no intention of killing villagers who were in the wrong place at the wrong time just to make a quest easier. It was unmanly.

Rose smiled as she examined the device. Tolan smirked and said, "So stick 'em with the pointy end?"

Don nodded. "Most of the strong attacks would require both wings. Take out one and most of its abilities would be sealed."

The group made its way to the edge of the nomad settlement. Don took out his lute and started playing Melody of the wind.

_You've heard Melody of the Wind_  
_Health and mana regeneration increased by 10%_  
_Resistance to wind based magic increased by 15% _  
_for 2 hours_

Rose and Tolan received effects as members of the party, but everyone around heard the song.

"Ohh, what's that?"  
"Music?"  
"Who's playing?"

A couple of nomads followed their ears to the source. Don played and Rose and Tolan sat non-threateningly. The nomads consisted of human warriors and shamans, the tribe had about sixty people present.

Don figured music about the wind would appeal to nomads that worshiped an eagle, or at least appeal to some of them enough to come to the edge of their settlement.

After about fifteen showed up in front of Don, he stopped and said, "Hi guys. We need you to leave. Like, today."

One of the nomads, a shaman said, "Leave? Who are you to ask us to leave?"

Tolan took over. "We are representatives of Lu. Your clan has been charged with the spreading of a foreign belief in the lands presided over by the church of Lu. As nomads you have overstayed your welcome."

The shaman looked pissed. "Our people lived here long before this kingdom had a name, our ancestors were driven out and Forced to become nomads! Now you come and tell us to leave again!"

The shaman raised his staff but Tolan quickly bashed him with his shield. Rose cast her holy buffs, "Divine Might, Shield of Faith, Light of Lu."

Don took out his sword as the rest of the nomads realized where this was going. Rose's buffs strengthen attack, defense, and magic defense. Though Divine might didn't give him much of a strength boost. It was more for paladins as it converted faith to strength for a while. Light of Lu was an all around stat buff so it still gave him some extra umff.

Don started striking the closest warriors to get to the shaman in the group before he could buff everyone or curse him. Luckily Tolan got to him first. After seeing him though Don turned to see that Rose was undefended and being charged by a pair of warriors with swords drawn. Don tried to make his way over to her but there were too many between them.

Rose took out a mace and brained the first guy before ducking low and driving her mace into the next guy's stomach, Tolan noticed that Don had a worried expressions and chuckled and Don rolled his eyes in realization.

There are two general builds of priests. Those who specialize in healing and buffs, and battle priests. Although a battle priest's spells were not as powerful as a buff/healer, they could fight on the front lines without a baby sitter. Rose's faith stat was likely higher than a normal priest at the cost of lower wisdom. Her heal spells were not top class but when under the effect of Divine might and shield of faith, her attack and defense were no less than a that of a warrior with light armor.

Don kept the nomad's positions in mind as well as his party member's. When Rose and Tolan were looking the other way, Don used Dance of scattering light. He reflected the sun's light all around him, blinding half the people. He switched to fiery dance and finished off the few who were close to make way for the next ones.

_Skill level up: Fiery Dance [9]_

_Skill level up: Dual Wield [7]_

Don's dances attracted attention and gathered nomads around him, Tolan plowed through the large groups, Rose healed them while periodically taking out anyone foolish enough to attack her. After about an hour of constant fighting the camp was empty and Don was another level higher. Because they fought on the outskirts of the camp, a slow but steady stream of new nomads poured in after others were killed, providing constant battle, but not at an overwhelming rate.

Don, Rose and Tolan picked up loot and japtem throughout the area. Nomads were not rich, they mostly had monster drops from recently hunted local mobs. The swords the warriors dropped were low quality, the light armor and leather hides they wore had nothing on Don's equipment. The shamans did have some good staffs, but Rose had picked most of them up.

In the large tent where the chieftain had lived, there was an ornate statue of a majestic eagle. Don took out Lu's essence and waited for a moment.

A gust of wind came from nowhere and coalesced into a form, a sphere. After a moment it became solid and wings emerged from the side as a beak formed in the front.

The three meter tall eagle, with a golden name above its head, Wilfrind, looked around for a moment before speaking.

-What is this power I feel? Offer it to me.

Don put the essence back in his inventory and said, "No free lunch for you, come and take it."

Wilfrind opened its wings and flapped once, the gust filled the tent and threw it in to the air. Don and Tolan were already running up to it with a stunbolt in hand, but another flap and the pair were sent backwards.

At this point the eagle god looked around the village and realized everyone was dead.

-You... Will Pay For -ARGHH!

Rose had snuck up behind the eagle and stabbed her stunbolt into its wing. An electric jolt could be seen over the wing and the eagle seemed to be unable to move it well. Don and Tolan ran up to the bird again but this time they each took a side, Wilfrind turned to its side and tried to rip Rose's head off with its beak but she had already gotten away after stabbing it. It turned to Don and flapped its remaining wing, though this time along with a powerful gust came a barrage of feathers. Don wrapped the wind around his swords and threw it into the eagle god's attack. The wind currents cancelled each other out, but the spiraling wind of Don's attack threw the feather's trajectory off and none had struck him.

The god looked pissed. It started cawing out, something that sent a shiver down Don's spine. From the trees of the nearby forest came a large rustling sound. It was the sound of hundreds of birds taking off, and they were on their way.

Don charged forward, if the birds got there they group would be too occupied to finish the god before the stunning effect wore off, he needed to take out its wings before that. Don yelled, "Get its wings!" signaling Rose and Tolan of his plan. From three directions the giant bird was ambushed, Tolan with his shield, Rose with her second stun bolt, and Don.

Don started running while dancing, something which drew the god's attention, just as Don blinded it with the sun's light off his swords. It flinched, and a moment later it started flapping its wings, trying to take off. Don wrapped his sword in fire, but the wind from the takeoff blew it out. Don had to cancel out the wind before he could use it.

Don wrapped the sword of his right hand in wind, and the sword of his left in fire. He threw the wind at the god then threw his remaining sword following the trajectory. The Gale blade carved a path which the sword followed. Although the fire started to die out as soon as it left Don's hand, there was still some left as it pierced the wing.

-ARAAARGH

The god cried out as the embers of the blade were fanned by the wing's movement, causing the area to erupt in flames. The god crashed down and threw its wing, causing the sword to fly off. However before it could put out the fire, Tolan shield bashed it, sending the god backwards and stunning it. Don used his remaining sword to hack away at the eagle until it died.

_Quest Update: Slay the Gods_  
_Lu, the god of Light has requested that you kill the lower gods that have encroached upon his territory. Accept and he will offer assistance._  
_Progress 02/19__You have gained a level!_  
_You have gained a level!_

_Skill level up: Sword mastery has reached level 10 and is now intermediate_  
_+50% Atk and Atk Spd when using sword._

Don quickly turned to see that the cloud of birds was dispersing. Don sighed in relief and checked the God's loot. A sapphire, a large pile of feathers, and another glowing gem.

_You have obtained the spirit of Wilfrind!_  
_Leadership increased by 20 (+20 LEA)_  
_Intellect increased by 10 (+10 INT)_  
_Wisdom Increased by 10 (+10 WIS)_  
_Your divine affinity has increased_

Don's opened up his stat and skill window to see how well he was doing.

_[Status Window]_

_Avatar Don __Alignment Neutral_

_Race Lunar Elf __Title None_

_Level 139 __Class Blade Dancer_

_Fame 320 __Infamy 0_

_Health 7290 __Mana 2370 _

_Strength 359 __Agility 304 _

_Wisdom 75+80 __Intellect 110+50 _

_Vitality 110 __Affinity to Nature 0_

_Charisma 105 __Charm 185 _

_Leadership 20 __Perseverance 66 _

_Fighting Spirit 122 __Endurance 108 _

_Concentration 12+30 __Luck 20_

_Attack 351 __Defense 132_

_Magic Resistances None_

_+ Charisma stat is added extra 80 points._  
_+ Charm stat is added an extra 80 points_  
_+ Enables you to equip certain items specialized for the class._  
_+ Increases Attack Power while dual wielding swords._  
_+ Enables you to learn secret skills based on your level in Blade Dancing Mastery._

_[SKill window]_

_Light of the Heavens [Max] 00%_

_Sword Mastery Intermediate [1] 1%_

_Dual Wield [7] 25%_

_Drawing [2] 16%_

_Bluff [3] 81%_

_Automapping [7] 51%_

_Detect [4] 71%_

_Disarm Trap [2] 32%_

_Identify [5] 12%_

_Scan Intermediate [3]__20%_

_Unlock [2] 0%_

_Blade Dancing Intermediate [1] 65%_

_Cross Body Parry [7] 90%_

_Fiery Dance [9] 7%_

_Illusion Steps [6] 23%_

_Dance of the Brave [1] 14%_

_Dance of the Fighter [2] 34%_

_Dance of Death [6] 35%_

_Tailoring [6] 23%_

_Artifice [2] 21%_

_Repair [4] 59%_

_Lute playing [2] 33%_

_Dance of Scattering Light [1] 65%_

_Gale Dance [1] 29%_

Tolan walked over to Don and said, "I didn't ask before, but why did you tell the nomads to leave? If we simply went with a surprise attack instead of antagonizing them first it would've been easier."

Don nodded and said, "And if we killed all the nearby villagers that would've made it easier too. However I have no intention of killing anyone without a good reason, it just isn't manly. I had no right to kill them if there was another option, I had to give it to them beforehand."

Tolan shook his head, "So this is going to be a frequent thing?"

Don said, "Yep, anyone who doesn't attack us on sight gets a chance to leave. Got a problem with that?"

Rose who had overheard their conversation burst out in laughter. She said, "You'd make a good paladin. Tolan isn't a fan of killing innocents, but in this game that actually makes him part of the minority. He was just checking to see if you were like that too."

Tolan rolled his eyes and started walking out of the settlement. Rose followed as did Don.

A few hours later the trio was back in Eisendol. They agreed to move onto a different city within Sairei kingdom. If they wanted the killing of a god to be no more than a day trip, they needed their home base to be closer to areas with gods. Don went to the local tailor with the eagle god's feathers. As promised, the tailor paid Don handsomely for the lot, 730 gold. Of course neither of them knew what properties the feathers would impart on whatever they were made, but if it was anything like the fox god's pelt, the tailor would make a fine profit.

Next Don went back to his Inn to check the trap he made. When he opened his room he found a some gold and a leather satchel.

_Master Lock Pick Set_  
_Durability 37/40_

_The lock picks of a professional thief_

_Requirements:_  
_200 AGI_  
_50 LUK_

_Effects:_  
_+2 Unlock Level when equipped_

Don smiled. The trap he built into the chest killed whoever was unlucky enough to have unlocked it. And after Don increased his luck a bit he would be able to use the lock pick set for himself.

The group would leave in the morning so he still had the room for the night. Don got out all the remaining parts he had and opened Forlen's book. He hadn't expected the trap or even the stun bolts to have worked out so well and he wanted to spend the night increasing his Artifice proficiency.


	14. Vol2 Ch4 The Artificer's Will

Vol2 chapter 4  
The Artificer's Will  
Poison tipped vines shot out from the tops of nearby trees only to be cut to shreds by Don's fiery dance. Cutting them with normal movements was possible too, but the vines quickly grew back if the edges of the cuts weren't seared. Rose and Tolan were back to back, keeping the onslaught of vines from ensnaring each other. They each slowly moved closer to the red barked tree, the forest god, Entrent.

Since planting its roots in the world below, Entrent had taken over this forest. Wood elves of the forest found the tree which gave them blessings if they worshiped it, but only in return for offerings of life. Since then the amount of people going missing in the forest skyrocketed, as the cult of the blood tree grew.

Don, Rose, and Talon found the main sect of the wood elves that worshiped Entrent and was able to finish them off with some strategy and home made artifact traps, but not all of them. Wood elves that have no reason to, never leave the woods, and even with fire traps that directed them to an ambush, many got away. Because Entrent still had dozens of worshippers that still lived, it was much stronger than the group's usual prey.

Roots sprung up from ground beneath Tolan and Rose's feet, binding them to the soil. Roots also sprouted up beneath Don, but his dancing didn't allow him to stay still long enough to be captured.

Tolan called out, "Righteous fury, burn away the wicked and deceitful, Holy Flame!" White flames erupted from his sword which he plunged into the earth. The flames seemed to travel beneath the soil, and after a moment the roots that ensnared the pair were enveloped in white embers.

At almost the same moment, Don and Tolan reached the trunk of the red tree and plunged their flaming swords into it.

Don yelled, "Scan."

_Divine Tree Entrent_  
_Level- Cannot be determined_  
_Health -5300_  
_-4800_  
_-4300_

Its health dropped so fast it was visible during the second long scan. Don yelled, "Just a little bit more!."

Hundreds of vines came at the group only to be blocked by the mana shield put up by Rose. As long as they were stationary a shield could be put up, but it was cracking every few seconds requiring Rose to recast. She said, "Almost out of mana here."

Tolan shouted as the white flames that enveloped his sword burst with power, driving the sword deeper into the tree's trunk.

A giant crack appeared on the tree and within it erupted a light that slowly dimmed.

_Quest Update: Slay the Gods_  
_Lu, the god of Light has requested that you kill the lower gods that have encroached upon his territory. Accept and he will offer assistance._  
_Progress 06/19__You have gained a level!_

_Skill level up: Fiery Dance has reached level 10 and is now intermediate_  
_Mana cost reduced by half._  
_Can now use Flame extension while performing Fiery dance_  
_Flame extension-_  
_The fire that envelops your swords can extend beyond the length of the swords._  
_Mana Cost: 15 per second_

Don smiled. Gale dance's gale blade was decent for long range but this looked like a good skill for mid range combat. Though it meant he had more he needed to practice.

Don picked up the loot dropped by the tree, starting with the tree's spirit.

_You have obtained the spirit of Entrent!_  
_Affinity to Nature increased by 40 (+40 AtN)_  
_Wisdom Increased by 10 (+10 WIS)_  
_Your divine affinity has increased_

Don chuckled that until now he had no affinity to nature. As an elf that was usually the first thing that was raised. Affinity to nature affected the power of spirit and nature magic, something Don had no use for it.

The tree's japtem drop was a pile of wood, likely something that had amazing properties, but it also dropped what looked to be a scroll. Don picked it up, unrolled it and said, "Identify."

_Map to the Hall of Actos_  
_An ancient map that shows the location of the lost workshop of Actos, one of the greatest Artificers in history._

Ding*

_Actos' Legacy_  
_The head of the Artificer's Guild has offered a reward for any information discovered about Actos. Explore the workshop and bring whatever secrets you find to Luthur, in the gnomish city of Greyfell_  
_Difficulty: C_  
_Reward: Unknown_  
_Quest Restrictions: Must have some connection with artificing. The quest can be shared with others as long as at least one person satisfies the first condition._

_This quest does not count toward the three quest limit._

Don's eye's widened. He had heard of artifact quests, but never had one before. He learned long before he got his capsule that throughout the continent were items that gave quests upon examination. Don felt almost giddy.

"Rose, Tolan, take a look at this." The pair came over to check out what Don was yelling over as he handed Tolan the map. The paladin looked it over and said, "Ok, what about it?"

Don wasn't sure if he was hiding his enthusiasm, or he genuinely didn't care. "Wanna go explore it? It has probably never been touched."

Tolan handed Don back the map and said, "I have no interest."

"What? Why? It's a C rank quest, I'm sure you'll get great experience."

Rose shook her head. "If we want to grind, there are plenty of dungeons that we have free access to as members of the church of Lu. And as members of the church of Lu it's our duty to assist you until the quest Lu gave you is complete. But for any pursuit other than the quest, we have no obligation to come."

Don looked slightly upset. He had no delusions about being friends with the pair, they had been hunting gods for a month (real world time), and had not once sent a friend request his way. But he still thought that they had some adventurer spirit in them.

Tolan saw Don mopping a bit and said, "If you want to go explore the ruins until the double experience is over, that is fine. We'll assist in church matters until you're finished. After that you can go to the closest church of Lu and wait for us to return."

Don sighed and agreed. The group left the forest and returned to the town they used as base camp. After parting ways, Don found a place where sculptures were sold.

"Excuse me, did you make these sculptures?" Don asked the man at the counter.

"Yes, I am no master, but these works are mine."

Don noticed that when it came to NPC craftsmen, the humble ones tended to be far more skillful than the ones who boasted. This NPC seemed to follow that rule, the sculptures evoked emotion at their majesty and beauty. Don set the pile of Entrent's wood on the counter and said, "What do you think of this?"

At first the sculptor seemed annoyed that some adventurer off the street thought they could sell firewood to a sculptor, but out of curiosity he picked up a piece of the wood and started examining it. Don kept close watch on the change in expressions he made.

"What is this? I have never seen wood with such a beautiful scarlet color. Hmm, it seems to be ash, but ash is white. Where did you come across such wood?"

Don noticed how tightly he was holding the wood, the sculptor was suspicious but also anxious, he really wanted it. Don said, "This tree grew under unique circumstances. I guarantee you will never find another like this, it possesses amazing properties that will only reveal themselves after it has been worked."

Don didn't know that for sure, but it was true for most of the god drop japtem so far.

The sculptor took in a deep breath to compose himself, his instincts told him what Don said was true. "Ok, how much do you want for it?"

Don answered, "You can have it all under one circumstance."

Without breathing the sculptor waited for Don to elaborate.

"I've seen sculptures before that give stats when you look at them. If you use this wood to make a sculpture like that small enough for me to carry around, I'll give you the rest minus the cost of the sculpture. The better the effect, the less you'll pay. If it blows me away, I won't charge you a single copper."

The man left out a breath. The time of a sculptor was valuable, (or so they said), but this deal was worth it. The pile of wood Don brought in was almost ten kilograms, enough for many small sculptures that could be sold for hundreds of gold a piece. The man stuck out his hand for Don to shake. After agreeing to the deal, the sculptor asked, "What do you want it to be?"

Don thought about it for a moment and realized he had no idea what he wanted it to be. The wood was red and he couldn't think of any red things that he wanted a statue of. He figured anything would do, so he used the first red thing that came to mind, the beard of an old friend.

"Can you carve an artificer? A gnomish one with a wise looking beard."

At this the sculptor smiled, "I know just what you're talking about. I'll start right away. You can stay and watch if you want but even at a small size, it won't be finished until morning."

Don nodded and left the shop to find where he could buy craft supplies. But before that he opened his friend list and clicked whisper.

-Bob, you there?

-Ah, hello Don. How's the affinity coming along?

-Ok, got a quest that rewards divine affinity. But I have question, have you heard of Actos?

-Of course! He was a hero and pioneer artificer. He created the first soul gem, he discovered over a thousand new formulas that could be used to inscribe magic that were thought beyond replication. Overall, he quite famous you know.

-I see, I found a map that may lead to the Acto's workshop.

-You what? Where is it?!

Don could tell Bob was jealous, but that was no reason not to share. Bob always paid back what was given, even if it was information.

-On the southern outskirts of Sairei Kingdom, the entrance seems to be on the edge of the Tessher mountain's east tip.

-I see. I'm currently in west. It would take me months to get to the central kingdoms, and months more to get to that southeast kingdom.

Don had no intention of waiting what was likely to be a month and a half of real world time for Bob to explore the ruins with him. But he didn't want Bob to be depressed.

-Bob, I promise to show you whatever I find in there the next time we meet. Ok?

-Alright. Good luck. Oh, do you remember what you learned about automatons from me?

-If someone with the artifice skill uses repair on their head, their armor unlocks. And they will obey the commands of someone wearing the Mark of Knowledge.

-Yes, unless ordered otherwise by their master. Automaton guardians within a dungeon are usually ordered to attack on sight so they won't respond to your commands. The command to release the outer shell should still work, but using repair right on the forehead is difficult in combat, and using it anywhere else will heal it.

-Duly noted.

After spending the night making magnetized electro grenades for any automatons he may have to fight, Don made his way to the sculptor's shop.

"Welcome back." The sculptor seemed pleased with himself, on the counter was a figure 15cm tall covered in a red cloth. "You'll be giving me all of the wood for free. To be perfectly honest if you subtract the cost of this beauty from the value of the wood, you're the one who comes up short, but a deal's a deal." With great fanfare he removed the cloth revealing a small red bearded gnome in a intricately carved outfit.

_You have seen the Statue of an Artificer_

_Health and Mana regeneration with increase by 15% for a day._  
_Wisdom +10_  
_Intellect +10_  
_Artifacts will have 30% increased effect_  
_Artifice skill increased by 10%_  
_Repair skill increased by 10%_  
_Effects do not stack with other sculptures_

The statue was carved in great detail, it seemed almost alive. The wrinkles in its eyes smiled and the red beard extended down to the chest. It was definitely a gnome artificer, but it didn't look like Bob, and Don had never seen Bob in such attire. Don asked, "Do you know an artificer?"

"Yes, an old friend of the family. Very old. The gown is actually the uniform worn by teachers. So, what do you think?"

"It's amazing. But I still don't think I'll come up short on my end. As I've said, the wood gains attributes after being worked. Of course I'll still give the wood for free, the effects of this statue are excellent."

The sculptor handed the small gnome to Don and said, "Not sure about any additional effects. Nothing surprising came up anyways. But it is still excellent wood, this piece came out as a masterpiece after a night's work. I'll make good use of the rest."

Don thanked the man and left. Afterwards he used Identify.

_Statue of an Artificer_  
_Artistic Value 850_

_A gnome carved of a blood soaked sacred ash tree. This statue embodies the quest for knowledge and the satisfaction of knowledged gained._

_Special Options_  
_Health and Mana regeneration with increase by 15% for a day._  
_Wisdom +10_  
_Intellect +10_  
_Artifacts will have 30% increased effect_  
_Artifice skill increased by 10%_  
_Repair skill increased by 10%_  
_Effects do not stack with other sculptures_

_A property of the wood has been affected by the statue's image. Knowledge has been gained through understanding of artificing._

_Learned the Syg, Blood Empower_  
_Adds the property of being strengthen by blood_

A small symbol appeared on the message. It seemed that this divine japtem only had a hidden property under the right circumstances. Perhaps if he had a swordsman sculpted he could have gained a blood related sword skill. Don was tempted to go back and request such a thing be carved, but then he decided against it. It was not guaranteed and depending on what he did with this syg, it was unnecessary. Don took out Folren's journal and added the symbol on the message to the syg index in the back, along with a small description.

Don bought supplies and traveled for the next four days to the entrance to the Hall of Actos. However when he arrived at the town that was closest to it, he logged out. It was sunday night and he had school in the morning, and three days of work after that, he decided he would spend the next weekend exploring and grinding.

Don logged in Friday morning. He stood before what appeared to be a large boulder off the path, nestled at the very base of the Tessher mountain. Of course it would only appear to be a boulder to other people. Don, while wearing the mark of knowledge, saw through the camouflage to the stairway that lead into the mountain.

Don entered without fanfare, and was disappointed that the first explorer message did not pop up. The ground of the hall was made up of steel plates. Columns made of an unknown metal held up the roof. The area opened into a well lit, enormous hallway that ended at a great golden door.

Don walked down the great length of the hall and pushed against the door, but it didn't budge. To his left he noticed a golden lever. As Don reached for it, he became very suspicious. He had a bad experience with doors that open by levers once. "Detect."

The ground beneath him shimmered dimly, barely noticeable in the well lit room. Don looked down to see that the center of the floor beneath the door had an almost imperceptible line down the middle. Don's eyes traveled back, following it along the length of the hallway. The entire hallway room floor was a trap door. Don looked back up at the door, it was huge, shiny, and very eye catching. Likely meant to keep people staring up so as not to look down at the crack in the floor. It probably didn't open, just a wall carved out to look like a door. Don wandered around using detect. He searched for half an hour before giving up. His detect skill was not quite level 5 yet and in such a bright room, the dim glow of any hidden things revealed by the low level Detect would be difficult to spot. Don decided he had nothing better to do, so he found a spot on the other side of the lever that was not over the trap door and pulled it.

Soundlessly the floor fell, revealing a gaping chasm. Don took out one of his artifacts and squeezed it, activating the glass sphere within which lit up brighter than floodlight before throwing it down. He saw the light fall about five stories before smashing against the bottom in what Don saw as a spiked pit. "Seems this place does not like visitors."

This trap was designed to kill, a small army could fit in this hallway, ready to raid the place of its secrets only to be skewered on the rocks below. Don turned around and saw to his surprise a small open door. It had opened just as silently as the trapdoor, but was on the side wall next to the safe spot near the lever. Don saw it start to close, just as the pit door started to close.

Don entered through the discreet passage. The hallway was far less opulent than the entrance, Don figured the builder didn't expect company to come this way. The passage opened up into something so unbelievable, Don couldn't breath.

It was a city, an enormous, golden city, built into the cavern. The light that came from the room illuminated further back than the eye could see. Don realized with a shudder that the city likely extended the whole length of the Tessher mountain range, beneath the surface. However the entire city was empty. The city buildings extended up from the center all the way into the roof and up along the sides. Don walked around the area, exploring various rooms and buildings, however all were empty. Don got out a blank sheet of paper and started mapping the place out. The paper filled in automatically as he wandered around. It took a full twelve hours to walk the length of the cavern and map the complete city.

_You have completed Unnamed City map for the first time._  
_Your Fame has increased by 350 (+350 Fame)_  
_New Stat: Insight_

_Skill l__evel up__: Automapping has reached level 10 and is now intermediate_

_Maps show hidden details._

After completing the map, the newly empowered skill caused the map to glowed a bit, a large area he had not explored showed up. Don found the entrance and went inside.

_Dungeon: You are the first players to discover the Workshop of Actos_  
_Reward 250 Fame_  
_Double experience, 2x item drop rate._  
_The first monster killed will drop a good quality item._

Don had finally found the dungeon area. After walking for a few minutes, the sound of gears and clockwork started coming from the walls. A sections of the wall opened up, revealing a human formed robot. "Scan."

_Warrior Guardian_  
_Level- 185_  
_Health -8575_

The robot was far above his level. Don ran towards it to touch its forehead, but the warrior's sword didn't let him approach. Don whipped his hand out, throwing a magnetized grenade. It stuck to the robot's armor and began to discharge, stunning the robot. Don didn't have time to wait so he stuck his hand to the still high voltage robot head and said, "Repair."

He pulled his hand back but was still slightly damaged from the shock. The warrior's armor plating clicked and fell off as the grenade's charge wore off. Don hacked away at the delicate parts of the inner workings.

_Critical Hit!_

The warrior slashed Don twice, taking most of his life and decreasing the durability of his armor. The thing had lost its defense but became faster.

Suddenly six more panels on the walls opened up, revealing more warrior guardians. Don decided on a tactical retreat.

He ran faster than the warriors could chase him, then he turned around, "Repair." By using illusion step to go backwards without looking like it, he could touch the forehead of the one's chasing him, before dealing a small slash to their leg and running again. Like this, he eventually had 7 naked robots chasing him. He eventually reached a choke point too small for more than one robot to fit through at a time, and fought the first, holding it there while the rest stayed behind it. Don slashed away at the sensitive looking parts until it finally collapsed, Don repeated with the other 6.

_You have gained a level!_

Don had eight more levels to go until 160, soon he would be able to equip his moonlight blades.

Don repeated the previous strategy for the rest of the day, the guardians always came in groups to overwhelm you, so he had to take drastic steps to survive. Although tiresome, by the end of the first day he gained three levels. However he had difficulty exploring. The spawn points were on the walls, some assembly line fed into them, no matter how many he destroyed in an area, after returning there a while later more robots would appear. If he wasn't careful, he could go too and have robots spawning all around him, surrounding him with endless waves. He spent another three days in the initial area of the dungeon, finally reaching level 160.

_Dual Blades of Moonlight._  
_Durability 120/120_  
_Damage 55~60 (Each)_

_This sword was crafted by a specialist from the light of a full moon along with its twin. When used together they strengthen each other. Other properties unknown._

_Restriction:_  
_Level 160_  
_Strength 200_  
_Agility 200_  
_Wisdom 50_  
_Equips:_  
_+10 All stats_  
_+15% Magic resistance_  
_+ Additional increase in resistance to curses and black magic_  
_+ Grants Light based Magic Damage dependent on the phase of the moon._  
_+ Restores itself in the light of the moon, rate of restoration is dependent on the phase of the moon. Cannot be repaired otherwise._  
_+ Additional Light based magic damage when the pair used together._  
_Additional options Unknown._

Don equipped the glowing blades, pocketed his charged mag-electro-grenades, repaired all his equipment, and headed out.

Don had learned the movement patterns of the warrior robots a while ago, he could remove its armor without getting struck, but after that was the hard part. Don struck the robot's exposed parts with his moonlight swords, each strike left a small glow on the area. To his surprise, he had finished off the robot faster than the next could respawn. The synchronizing effect of the swords strengthened each other when used together, granting higher total damage. When compared to the ordinary damage his previous swords dealt, the difference was in orders of magnitude.

Don made his way deeper into the dungeon. Larger robots with heavier armor and sleeker robots who seemed to be managing a factory of some sorts were all over the place. Don realized that the factory floor had been making the warrior robots he had spent the last four days fighting. Don decided it was time for payback. You only needed to disrupt one part of an assembly line to break the whole thing. Don threw two charged electro grenades at the control panel the sleek robot was operating. The jolt not only shocked the nearby robot, it magnetized the control panel as well. Don learned from experience that these clockwork robots were stunned by electricity, but not damaged by it. Their parts were all conductive and allowed the charge to pass through them. Unlike modern computers, these guys didn't have any delicate parts that were destroyed so easily. However if any part of them were magnetized, they would become slow, and their operational functions would decline.

The same seemed to hold true for the control panel, after being magnetized the machinery in front of it started going haywire. This caught the attention of every robot in the room, attracting them all to attack Don. Don however leisurely stood on a slightly elevated platform with his hand hanging over the edge. To get up to him required going up a ramp that passed under him, and none of the robots were smart enough to duck. "Repair. Repair. Repair. Repair..." The first naked robot made it up the ramp, only to step on a powerful magnet trap Don had made. The robot behind it walked into it, getting magnetized as well and sticking to each other. "Repair. Repair. Repair." Don had removed the last of their armor by the time the mag trap wore off and began hacking away at the pile of robots until they were a pile of robot parts.

When that room was clear Don moved onto the next and repeated. The factory was enormous and seemed to have an endless supply of stored robots, but after another five days Don's level was 172 and the endless waves of robots were easy pickings.

Don eventually found his way to a locked room. There were no spawn points around so he got out the master lock pick set that a thief had 'donated' to him. Don occasionally used spared parts left over from his artificing projects to create locks or traps. Doing so increased his unlock and disarm trap skill proficiency, and with this set, his unlock skill was even higher, though for this lock he would still have to manually pick it.

After raising the last tumbler he used the tension wrench to turn the lock, opening the room. There he found several disassembled robots, and a small (relatively speaking, it is life sized) robot gnome in the corner. Don went over and knocked the gnome on the head, but nothing happened. He put his hand on its chest and said, "Repair." After a moment it began to stir.

"What? Did they get in? Wher-.. An elf? How'd you get in here?"

The robot gnome's voice sounded like a tape recording. "My name is Don, I picked the lock and let myself in."

"Picked the lock huh." The little robot seemed upset. "Well what are you doing here, no, how did you make it all the way down here in the first place?"

"Let's see. I pulled the lever while not standing over the pitfall. I found the entrance to this workshop beneath that empty city, and I fought my way through the robots, and here I am."

"Is that right. Well then you can do me a favor, there is a master control panel in the back of this place. It will turn off the whole assembly line. Deactivate it and no more guardians will be made. After that you can empty the place of the remaining automatons."

_Stop the Machines_  
_A robot gnome has asked you to disable the workshop's ability to create more robots and destroy the remaining automatons_  
_Difficulty C_  
_Reward: Unknown_

Don wanted to ask more but figured the little bot would be more likely to answer after Don finished the quest.

"Alright, you can leave it to me."

_You have accepted the quest._

The shiny little gnome gave Don a complex key and said, "You'll need this." After he took it the bot walked over to a corner and deactivated.

Don had explored and mapped out the whole place already so he knew where the switch the key fit in was located. He had already cleared most of the place out, including the bots between the two areas so this would be a piece of cake.

Or so he thought. Upon approaching the back room, an enormous automaton Don first thought was nonfunctional came to life. Apparently this boss didn't attack until you had the key in your possession.

Above the five meter tall robot was the name, "Rotos." As it came to life, gears that first seemed like decoration on its arms legs and hands begun spinning at a frightening rate. The head of the bot was beyond Don's reach, meaning he wouldn't be able to remove its thick armor. Don decided to make a run for it before Rotos got warmed up. He had already opened the door beforehand and it had stayed open. Don ran past the giant robot's leg just as it was bending down to smash Don.

He made into the control room with Rotos too large to get more than an arm through the door. Don took out the key, inserted it into the slot on the panel and turned it. The sound of gears that came from the panel slowed down and stopped. But this had no effect on the active robots, Rotos was still out there and to complete the quest, Don needed to kill it.

Don took out the Artificer statue to gain its buff, as well as a pile of parts. One of the best parts of this place was that he could make artifacts from the scraps of the robots and he had collected a great deal. Don spent the next three hours with a tool kit and syg imprinting equipment. Don wished in the back of his mind there was a place to get rope around here, but he had to use what he had.

Don built two flat plates that held magnetism. If attached to a small (relatively speaking) robot it would magnetize the parts and slow it down, but Rotos was too large for such a small amount of magnetism to have an effect. Don bolted leather straps to the backs of the plates, and through trial and error found a way to set the magnetic plates to gain and lose their magnetism with a switch.

_Skill level up: Artifice [6]_

Don charged out the door way and jumped onto Rotos's back, attaching himself with the magnets on his hands. He quickly deactivated one, moved it higher, reactivated and did the same with the other one. Rotos started up again, enormous gears spinning faster and faster. Don climbed like his life depended on it, which it did.

Rotos figured out what Don was doing and backed up against wall to smash Don between a wall and a hard place, Don quickly moved to the side and started up the arm pit. Rotis tried but didn't have to mobility to reach Don, it started swinging its arms violently and bucking wildly. "Repair!"

Don made it to the head and had jumped onto the forehead. The instant he said it, he felt a dozen clicks beneath himself. The armor slid and fell away, almost crushing Don.

However the new sight was not a good one. The spinning gears and bulky armor fell off, leaving a sleek, robot whose fragile parts were beneath a mesh cage that seemed to be locked closed. Don couldn't attack the weak points.

Rotos smashed the ground and Don dodged to the side. He threw all the eletrogranades and magnetizers at it but nothing affected it. Don decided to go for broke and try to overheat it.

He started his fiery dance and used flame extension. The length of the moonlight blades were coated in fire and from the tip was about a foot of fire that moved like a rope. Don attacked the hydraulic piston that was Rotos's ankle and circled around as the robot spun so he could attack it again. In response Rotos lifted the foot and smashed it down, sending a shockwave that threw Don a few feet back. He got up and went back to attacking the foot.

After a strange dance of dodging and jumping and loud stomps, Don's attack caused the heel to burst, the hydraulic fluid had expanded due to the heat and caused a small explosion. Rotos started limping like man with a broken leg before falling down. Don quickly climbed onto its back and stabbed his blades into through the mesh wrap into the gear area. Rotos got up but Don was still hanging on to the handles. Rotos seemed to try falling onto its back, but before it could move enough, the chest area exploded with shredded gears and loose couplings. The great automaton fell and slowly died.

_You have gained a level!_

Don collected some of the more valuable parts that he didn't destroy from the wreckage and moved on to kill everything else.

_Quest Complete: Stop the Machines_  
_Return to the robot gnome for your reward._

Don returned to the room thankful that it wasn't locked and knocked on the gnome's metal head again.

"What, what, I'm up." He looked up to see that Don was still in one piece then approached the door to see that the factory outside was deactivated.

"Hmm, good job elf."

_You have gained a level!__You have gained a level!__You have gained a level!_

Don asked, "What is this place? I noticed it doesn't have a name."

"Yea, it doesn't. I built this place a while back."

Don asked, "On your own?"

"Of course not! I had lots of automaton workers. I made this place to be a city whose citizens were only robots. I wanted them to evolve, to create better robots to replace themselves, and so on and so forth. But there's a problem. Making robots capable of building robots better than themselves is more difficult than it sounds."

Don thought it sounded plenty difficult.

"So to figure out a way around that I turned myself into a robot. That way I could gain a bit of insight into the mind of a robot that builds robots."

Don asked, "Wait what? You turned yourself into a robot? How?"

"Simple, made a super soul gear that I could store the entirety of my being in then put it in this robot. But guess what happened next."

Don wasn't sure so he just said, "All hell broke loose?"

"Well, yes. Not all at once of course. My first breakthrough in artificial intelligence made from scratch, went a bit crazy. He reformatted the assembly line I made to create the citizens of the city into one that makes soldiers. I don't know what happened to him afterwards, He might have been destroyed, or he might have escaped. Anyways, because I was not the primary designer of the warrior guardians, I was not set as their master. They whole lot destroyed all of my prototype citizens and I could do nothing but lock myself away."

Suddenly an obvious question came to Don's mind. Who alone has the skill necessary to do all of this? Don asked, "Excuse me, I forgot to ask for your name."

"Huh? Oh yea, I am-, or I was, Actos."

Don nodded, not entirely surprised, though he was happy to meet such an extraordinary gnome. Bob would explode once he found out.

Don said, "Did you know that the current head of the Artificer's guild is offering a reward for any information about you?"

"That so? And that's why you came down here?"

"No, that would be a bonus, but I came down here because I enjoy adventuring."

"HA! That right?"

"Well, I may have also been curious. Imma ametuer artificer."

This time the gnome seemed genuinely surprised. "There are no amatuer artificers elf. You're either a professional one or not one at all. No imbetween."

Don realized that Bob may have done something bad in teaching him the skill, but it was too late to take it back, Actos was looking over him carefully.

"Hmm.. you are an ametuer artificer... ... ... AH Ha Hahahaha HA!"

To hear a robot gnome laugh out loud is a strange thing.

"Way to go kid, you beat the system. I always hated that artificing was so regulated. I didn't learn it at the university either, self taught all the way. Hmm.. I got an idea."

Actos got out a pair of journals. "You ever seen one of these kid?"

Don nodded and explained about the one that was given to him.

Actos said, "That right? I'd like to meet this Floren and Bob. Anyways, these are personal journals, every artificer has one. You should start one as well. We're taught not to give them away but I don't care about that. So as thanks for helping me out, you can have these."

Don took the journals and said, "Why two?"

"One is my old journal, centuries old. But there are still some original ideas in there. Give that to whoever put a bounty on info about me. The second one is for you. It is quite a bit more recent. I has all the sygs I've discovered and some secrets to imprinting high quality spells into artifacts that I think you'd be able to use despite your low proficiency."

Don bowed and said, "Thankyou master Actos for these. I have two final questions. What are you going to do now?"

"Well, Imma repair the workshop and build some new security. Stuff that Will do what I say. Then I'll get back to my research on the self improving AI."

"Ok, and would you mind if I told Bob how to get here? I know he'd love to meet you."

"Sure, I'll keep the new guardians from attacking on site in case he drops by."

Don thanked Actos again and left. He had gotten to almost level 180 over the weekend and had learned some new tricks. The weekend was almost over but he would spend what time he had left experimenting with new gadgets and artifacts.


	15. Vol2 Ch5 The Moonlit Battle

Vol2 ch5

The Moon lit Battle  
In the city of Gelden, Sairei Kingdom, Don, Rose, and Tolan sat in the corner table of a popular restaurant with a local, a young politician. They had arranged the meeting with this woman to ascertain information about their latest target.

The order the trio killed target gods in was generally their choice, but the other day, Rose got a message from Lu saying that one god moved to the top of Lu's hit list and needed to be taken care of as soon as possible. The object of Lu's attention was a minor light god named Zoltan. Although his power was far overshadowed by Lu's, recently the number of his followers skyrocketed. This usually would not be of great concern to Lu, but Zoltan's followers weren't some cult held up in a musty temple. They had actually moved into this city, a city that Lu had domain over. The church of Zoltan became so popular so fast, that there was talk of getting the patron of the city switched from Lu to Zoltan.

Rose asked the woman, "How can people choose this hack over Lu?"

The woman nodded, "I know what you mean, but we have good reason. Lu does his thing in his realm, but Lord Zoltan lives down here. He has proven to us that he has great power, and can watch over our city better than Lu."

Tolan looked highly pissed but was able to restrain himself, Rose other the other hand, could not. She shouted, "That THING, Lu does in His, realm keeps us safe down here in ways you don't even know! And What exactly has Zoltan done for you that the people of this city are willing to choose him over Lu?!"

Don noticed that Rose implied that what Gods did in their realm greatly affected the mortal realm. He was interested but would save the questions for later.

The politician calmly said, "A few weeks ago a great army of monsters came from the forest and marched on the city. They came without warning and gave no time for the soldiers to assemble, so our defenses were low. It isn't that we have a poor military, it was just so sudden, the army came from nowhere. Anyways, that is when lord Zoltan appeared on the city wall and told the people they were safe. He faced the army of 10,000 monster and cast a spell of light that erased the monsters.

After that, people began worshiping him and built a church in the hope that he would stay. The believers say that unless the city makes him their patron, he might leave. Though Zoltan himself has never said so. Still, I hope that the city will convert."

The woman looked like a teen thinking about her crush, Rose and Tolan noticed this as well and gave up on convincing her with logic. Tolan calmly said, "You know we are members of the church of Lu. Before your city decided to switch their patron, we would like a fair chance to defend Lu's honor. If we cannot convince you to stay with Lu, then you may convert your city without trouble from the church of Lu."

The politician looked like she had opened a Christmas present had got exactly what she wanted. It seemed that she may have been worried about the wrath of Lu if they converted, and that fear was shared by many, but now she, and the whole city had a way out.

The politician thanked Tolan and left, no sooner had she exited the door did Rose shout, "What the hell Tolan?! I'm the only one here who can hear the voice of Lu, and I Know he never said that! You saw her, nothing we say will change her mind! We'll have to kill every person in this city to weaken Zoltan enough to slay him!"

Tolan took in a deep breath and looked around to make sure no one in the restaurant overheard Rose say 'Kill every person in the city.'. After that he looked at Don, completely ignoring Rose and said, "I need you to destroy the city, as much of it as you can, in whatever way you can."

Don, almost spit out the food he was eating. Almost. Since playing royal road, he had come to appreciate the scarcity of high quality food and wouldn't spit it out if even he was stabbed. That being said, he wasn't sure how to take Tolan's assignment. Don turned to Rose to see her calm down and take on a somewhat understanding look.

"Why?" He asked. Don wouldn't do anything that he considered unmanly. Of course his conditions for unmanliness were simply, 'whatever a coward would do'. So, as long as the reason to do so and the way he did it wasn't cowardly, he didn't have a problem burning a city or two to the ground.

Tolan said, "I don't know how Zoltan managed to wipe out an army of '10,000 monsters,' but if people worship him for his ability to protect the city, that ability must be put to the test. If he fails, then the people will turn their back on him, dropping the number of worshippers as surely as if we killed them.."

Don asked, "What if he succeeds?"

Tolan smiled, "I don't think even Lu could stop you if you used your skills to the best of your ability."

His confidence was not misplaced. Since obtaining Actos' journal, Don had been making and experimenting with many kinds of sygs and magics. He had made a gauntlet that absorbed lightning magic and discharged it into whatever the arm with the gauntlet next punched, (though it could only absorb one bolt before it needed to discharge or else it would explode.) He made a pair of artifact that transferred heat from one to the other, if they were each thrown into a different tub of water, one tub would freeze while the other would boil. (Of course for this effect to be worth something in a large pool like that of a water serpent god they faced a while ago, he had to make a few dozen pairs.) And he had made a spell sphere that could cast Warrior's Might on one person at intermediate level 2, once every four hours. (He made a few of them and gave two apiece to Rose and Tolan.)

At this point Tolan believed Don could do anything if given enough time to prep.

Don said, "Alright. I have some ideas. But if you want this to work, you're going to need to get the local military on your side. If you get the military behind Lu and they save the city, Lu will get the credit."

Tolan became confused for a moment. "I thought you could just make some dangerous stuff and use it to disrupt the city under Zoltan's protection and make people doubt him. Why would the local military matter?"

Don rolled his eyes. "If I use artifacts to directly destroy the city, artifacts will get a bad reputation and artificers will suffer for it." Besides, using the cheap and easy way was not Don's idea of manly. He continued, "You know the local werewolf population? I bet I could get a whole lot of them to attack the city at the same time."

Werewolves packs consisted of a dozen or so and their members varied between level 150 and 210 depending on the area you found them. The werewolves found in the Sairei mountain ranges were about level 180. In order for to have a force capable of toppling a city, he needed to get a hundred or so packs of werewolves at least to decide to attack the city at the same time. The military stationed at Gelden had about 1000 soldiers so Don had to get the right number to put up a great fight but ultimately be defeated at the end.

Rose looked like she wanted to ask how the hell he would do that but somehow managed to refrain. Tolan had a similar look but only asked. "And on what day do you think you can get them to attack on?"

Don thought about it, it was a saturday in the real world and he needed to time the battle for when he could participate. "How about the full moon for next month?"

The trio had killed 10 gods in six months, Don had another six months to go to kill 9 more before the egg of the holy dragon hatched. (All in game time) He was actually ahead of schedule so he could afford to spend a month on Zoltan, as long as the remaining gods weren't too much of a pain to deal with.

Tolan said, "Alright. We'll gather information about Zoltan in the city and rally the soldiers. You do... Whatever you need to do.."

Rose shook her head, "You know if Don doesn't get the army together this whole thing will fall on its face and we won't be able to convince this city to switch. After which we will lose our positions and be expelled from the church..."

Tolan didn't say anything but simply got up after a moment and left, with Rose following behind shortly.

Don went to an inn and opened Actos' journal.

_Page 42_  
_Light Amplifier._  
_Materials:_  
_-6 leather straps_  
_-1 type B material (Frame)_  
_-2 type L crystal_  
_-2Type R crystal_  
_-1 Type X crystal_  
_-1 Type E material_  
_Sygs required: Light absorb, Light sustain, Light strengthen, Release activation, energy channeler_

The light amplifier was a leather wrist guard that provided little protection. What it did do was absorb light that was shone on it, keep in inside, then upon activation, channel the light to the user. Such a system was not useful unless the wearer was strengthened by light. Don had used it with his light of the heavens skill with some success and he hoped it would strengthen werewolves as well. If charged under any moon but the new moon for a night or two, it could be activated and for an hour bless the user with energy equivalent to being under a full moon. If used while under a full moon then it was like having two full moons.

Later that night, Don left the city for the mountains, seeking something that normally hunts without prejudice.

Not to disappoint, half an hour after entering Don encountered a pack of black werewolves, one of the strongest breed. Add to that the brightness of a moon that had been full two nights ago and it became clear tonight was a good night to be a werewolf.

Don first activated a light amplifying sphere which had similar though more temporary effects than the wrist guards. The upside was that it affected everyone, not just the user.

Don and the oncoming werewolves were bathed in bright moonlight from the sphere, and each werewolf received a small buff that strengthened them. This caused some confusion as to why their prey had done so. The pack slowed down upon approaching Don after noticing he had no weapon out and didn't seem hostile.

A large black werewolf with a red name above his head, Jorden, walked up to Don. As he approached, Don saw a red diamond on his forehead, the mark of a murderer, but one only Users wore. This werewolf was not an NPC.

As a show of good faith, Don threw the light amplifier to Jorden who caught it with his furry paw.

Don said, "I'll tell you how to work that if you hear me out. Help me with something and there's more where that came from for you and your pack."

Jorden was suspicious. Not because he doubted Don, but because Don was still wearing a (handmade) overcoat that didn't show his face. Don made it a habit of always wearing it when not fighting, whether in a city or meeting a stranger. Jorden motioned for the pack to go elsewhere and said, "Show your face." After they disappeared into the surroundings, Don took off the hood. Jorden started chuckling, "Hehe, pretty-boy elf huh? Alright, you have my attention. First explain how to activate this."

Don ignored the 'prettyboy' comment and began, "Squeeze lightly to activate, before it can be activated it needs to absorb light. It can absorb any light, but for it to be useful to you make sure you only have it out at night to absorb moonlight. To make that easier you can hook it to a necklace or something you wear at night. The more light it absorbs before being activated, the stronger the light when activated."

Another wolfish grin with far too much teeth was shown. He said, "Useful. Did you make this yourself?"

Don nodded humbly. Jorden asked once more, "And should I assist in your request, you'll make more?"

Don took the wrist-guard model from his inventory. "I can give you more spheres and these as well, these you can wear and have a much longer, much stronger buff, but they only affect the wearer."

Jorden considered this and said, "What do you need?"

"I need the city Gelden attacked with an army strong enough to take it. You get an army of werewolves, I'll equip them with these. When used under the full moon these will give you strength greater than any you've ever had."

"Hmm. Difficult. The werewolf tribes has many factions and many creeds. Few of which are eager to work together."

Don nodded. "I'll given you as many of these as I can to spread to others who can convince the other tribes."

Jorden looked at Don suspiciously ,he asked, "Why are you doing this? You are no NPC, that is for sure."

Don hadn't expected to meet a user turned werewolf so this entire conversation was outside of his expectations. That being said, lying was another form of running away, and not the manly thing to do.

"I represent the church of Lu, Gelden is worshiping one of Lu's rivals who claims to provide protection. That protection must be tested."

Jorden started chuckling. He said, "One of my skills as a werewolf is the ability to smell fear. I can tell when a person lies, and if you had been lying, I would've ripped you to shreds."

Don took a deep sigh, the path of the man had served him well... this time anyways.

Jorden continued, "I'll tell you something good. You know the monster army that Zoltan character defeated?"

Don nodded, Jorden said, "It never existed. I went over the battlefield the next day to check out the rumors. But there was nothing. Supposedly ten thousand monsters showed up and were defeated, but my nose told me that no monsters had stepped foot on the plains in front of that city in weeks. I bet the whole thing was an illusion cast by Zoltan. To defeat an illusion you just need to shine a brighter light on it. That's what those fools saw when he 'defeated' the monster army.

Don smacked his head that he hadn't thought of that. Illusion was a branch of light magic and it seemed that this minor light god had used it to full effect.

Jorden said, "So the point isn't to kill everything, but to make them cry for their mommy. Well, I can do that. Fact is, werewolf tribes often fight for no other reason than to thin out the weak and reduce population. Because of how werewolves are created, if we choose to we could populate faster than orcs. And of course there are many old werewolves who fight simply to find a place to die with honor. Now, show me how to work that wristguard and we can get started."

Don spent his sunday making artifacts and talking with Jorden. Don was especially interested in the details for how he became a werewolf. It seemed Jorden used to be a human monk, but he got a quest in the mountains and got bitten by a werewolf. The chances of becoming a werewolf are very low if bitten and if infected you automatically receive a quest that cures you if you succeed, but Jorden declined it and decided he wanted to be a werewolf.

Don was able to get the characteristics of the werewolf race form Jorden. Werewolves can, if they choose, switch between their beast and original forms. A werewolf in the form of its original race has higher stats than a member of the same race of the same level (not counting additionally gained stats.) Stats further increase while in beast form and several skills are gained, though many skills incompatible with werewolves cannot be used in beast form. And of course the light of the full moon strengthens werewolves regardless of what form they are in.

Although it actually has many upsides, it has many more downsides. Becoming a werewolf automatically changes your alignment from neutral or lawful to chaotic. And unless you somehow become a good samaritan werewolf and get your alignment back to neutral, you will be treated as hostile to all non monster races (and plenty of monster races as well). Even if you do get it back to neutral, NPCs won't treat you well, some cities won't allow you entrance, and users who attack while you're in beast form you won't be given the mark of a murderer (The werewolf race cannot gain Lawful alignment.)

Don went to school and work over the next four days and upon returning, met Jorden. Jorden said, "The recruitment goes well. I've convinced the leader of the black tribe as well an envoys from the grey, brown, and white werewolf tribes. Your toys are very useful. There has already been several deaths."

Don asked, "What do you mean?"

Jorden chuckled. "In the white tribe, a wrist model was giving to the son of the chieftain. He tried to convince his father to join in the battle or else other tribes would receives your toys and the whites would fall behind in strength. When his father refused, he challenged for leadership and killed his father."

"Woah. I've never even heard of white werewolves."

"They take measures not to be seen. Among the leaders, the white werewolf chieftain was regarded as the strongest. His son used your toy to strengthen himself enough to win, showing off its usefulness and convincing the tribe to follow him into battle."

Don wondered aloud, "Is that a good thing or bad thing?"

"Depends on your point of view and what happens. Bad for you if you don't come through, werewolves do not take lies kindly. If you do, then it will be bad for the city. Many will die." Jorden finished that sentence with the wolfish grin of a devil who signed a contract with a human.

Don shrugged, Tolan never said to go easy on them. He spent the next four days (in game) making powerful and effective light amplifiers and letting them charge. By the night of the full moon, he had 70 wrist models, 200 sphere models, and level 7 in artificing.

The number was lower than he had hoped but at least each clan leader and clan captain had their own wrist model to strengthen themselves and each pack leader had one or two sphere models to strengthen their pack. Don had made enough to make sure a thousand or so werewolves wouldn't be gunning for his throat any time soon.

Two days before the coming battle, Don entered the soon to be sieged city and met with Tolan.

Tolan asked, "How did it go on your end?"

Don answered, "No problem. About a thousand werewolves are on their way. They'll attack tomorrow night when the moon hits its peak."

Tolan sighed deeply, apparently relieved. "Nice going, I can work with that. I was offered a chance to speak with the so called high priest of Zoltan. I'll talk with him and a few others tonight."

Later that night, Tolan,. Rose, Don, the high priest of Zoltan, two older looking priests, and three politicians including the one from before were at the meeting.

Don's overcoat, meant to prevent attention, drew it instead among this crowd. He had to either remove it or leave the room. So he decided to wait outside.

A priest who was also outside said, "You. You feel strange. Are you a follower of Lu as well?"

Don sat down without looking at the priest or revealing his face beneath the cloak. He answered, "It isn't uncommon for those on a quest for the church to have an escort or two. I'm not a follower of Lu."

Don told the truth but made it sound like he was the escort, instead of the other way around.

Don was tempted to look at the priest but didn't. He felt something from him. Although there was no golden name above his head, Don knew it was Zoltan. Likely a side effect from the divine affinity he had been accumulating. And although Zoltan's sensitivity was not as high as Lu's, the minor god could feel the holy dragon egg in Don's possession. Though he had no idea what it was he felt.

Don could take out his swords and fight him now, but Zoltan currently had tens of thousands of followers, and although he was still a minor god, he was still too strong to fight for now. Don considered taking out the sealing sphere he had in his possession. All he had to do was break it and a level 450 armored behemoth would pop out and destroy everything.

But he already had a way to destroy the city, it was a waste to use the behemoth for something if he didn't need it. He decided to pass on the chance for now and let the plan take its course.

Don said, "You should be careful. I probably shouldn't be saying this, but there is gonna be a coup d'etat soon."

Zoltan turned to Don, "What did you say?"

Don nodded, "Yea, that sneaky paladin spent the last month convincing the local military to overthrow the current government in case he failed to convince them to stay with Lu. I doubt they will convince anyone, so the coup d'etat will be in a few days, a week at the most. You should leave the city."

The disguised god said, "Is that so?"

Don nodded and replied, "Well unless the military gets disbanded. But there's no way that can happen in a few days."

Neither said anything after that but Zoltan seemed fidgety. Half an hour later the doors opened and Rose and Tolan came out, defeated. The trio left and Rose said, "Those bastards deserve what's coming."

Don said, "Yea. What would happen if the church disbanded the army before tomorrow night?"

Tolan looked at Don and said, "I don't know why they would do that, but it wouldn't go well for them. Why?"

Don said nothing. The trio rented a Inn for the night and prepared for battle. The next morning, to everyone's surprised, (but Don's,) the city was littered with posters put there by the church.

_Proclamation of Zoltan._  
_Zoltan has agreed to be Gelden's patron deity._  
_But only if the current army is immediately disbanded, and all soldiers turn in their weapons._  
_From now on, Zoltan will protect the city, therefore there is no need for an army._  
_All praise Zoltan!_

On the bottom was a large letter Z, Zoltan's signature apparently. After reading the poster, Rose and Tolan turned to Don. Tolan asked, "How?"

Don smiled and said, "Met Zoltan yesterday. Convinced him you guys were orchestrating a coup d'etat with the military."

Tolan shook his head in disbelief.

The group wandered around the city for a while. A little after noon, bells on the city walls could be heard ringing. News quickly spread of a vast force of werewolves, many hundreds of them coming the Gelden.

The believers of Zoltan urged the military to turn over their weapons as fast as they could, that way Zoltan would agree to protect them. In a scene of madness never before witnessed, the closer the invading army got, the more defenseless the city became. Don wondered to himself if he had gone too far, but it was not his nature to do something half-way or not give it everything he had. If he was asked to destroy a city, so be it.

Although reluctant, by the time the werewolves made camp a few miles outside the city, the entire army had relinquished their weapons to government, causing the followers of Zoltan to celebrate. The high priest of Zoltan announced this achievement and assured the people that their faith in Zoltan would be rewarded.

After the sun had set and the full moon rose, a werewolf army stood a two miles outside the city walls, and as far back as the eyes could see. The people of Gelden gathered en masse on the city walls, waiting to see Zoltan defeat the monster army. Don Rose and Tolan also found good spots. Tolan looked over the army and said, "This is gonna get messy. Try not to die."

In the center of the city walls, above the gate, was a robed figure that priests were bowing to. Although his face could not be seen, all the people around knew it was Zoltan, and they all cheered.

The moon rose until it was high and at that point, the army advanced. When within a quarter of a mile, Zoltan raised his hand, causing light to emerge. Suddenly, three dragons appeared before the city gates. Bathed in moonlight, they were each larger than a building, majestic and powerful looking. They each roared in a different direction, spewing fire, ice, and lightning into the sky in an impressive display. Don imagined for a moment riding on the back of one of them and flying into battle. But unfortunately he knew that they were no more than illusions. Impressive illusions, but illusions nonetheless.

The army stopped. The dragons did not approach them but stood guard as deterrents.

A small group of werewolves, a group that had at least one of each variety of werewolf, approached the monstrous vision before them. Of course high grade illusions could be seen and heard, some even felt up to a certain degree, but they had no scent. And werewolves were not fooled so easily.

Don noticed that each of them had one of his wrist guards, meaning they were all high ranking, possibly the leaders of the werewolf tribes.

People were murmuring excitedly.

-I can't believe Lord Zoltan commands dragons!

-Those puppy dogs are gonna get charbroiled.

-Send them back with their tails between their legs!

Don knew where this was going. He planned half of it. One of the group, the black one Don now recognized as Jorden, pulled out a metal rod and pointed it at a dragon.

A moment later, a beam of powerful sunlight came forth and pierced the first dragon, causing it to slowly dissolve. Not all of the light amplifiers were used for moonlight. By using stored sunlight, the bright light can destroy illusions.

A few moments later the other two dragons were pierced by light and dissolved. A city of people fell into panic as they realized what had happened.

-No..  
-Illusions? The dragons were fake?  
-Was the army from before?  
-Oh no, we're defenseless!

People began scrambling from the walls and screaming for their lives. As the third dragon dissolved, the army of werewolves started charging for the gates. Some of the people were magicians, who tried to cast spells, but their morale from discovering they were tricked was so low, the spells failed to activate.

Tolan said, "Ok, now the hunt is on, find and kill Zoltan before he gets away, and don't die!"

The group ran for where they last saw Zoltan but a majority of people were running the opposite direction. Don jumped onto the edge of the wall and ran past the crowd, ahead of Rose and Tolan. He couldn't see Zoltan, but he felt him. He followed the feeling until he saw a small child who was running away. Don took out his own sunlight rod and shot a short beam at the child.

Suddenly Zoltan's form was revealed in the middle of the crowd. A golden name above his head. Although the sound of pounding on the city gates could be heard, people were focused on Zoltan's cowering form, and Don.

Don said, "Zoltan. For the crime of misleading the followers of Lu and rendering this city defenseless to invasion, I sentence you to death!"

Zoltan quickly recognized Don's cloaked figured and scowled in realization. "You, this was all your doing."

Don charged at Zoltan who then disappeared. Don realized the crowd of surrounding people wouldn't stop him from escaping for long. Don removed his cloak, revealing his appearance, (to the oohs, and aahs of the female audience.) However he couldn't use a sunlight wand or sphere to dispel the invisibility, using it while running through a crowd was one thing, but if he used it while everyone was watching, someone might notice it was the same thing in possession of the werewolves.

Don took out his moonlight blades. As soon as they were out they started glowing with a fierce light, they were taking power from the light of the full moon.

_Dual Blades of Moonlight's light based damage has increased_

Don put the edges of the blades together and swept them over each other making a scchiiin* sound. A wave of moonlight blew from the swords.

_Dual Blades of Moonlight's durability has decreased_

The swords were made of moonlight and if damaged, the moonlight was released. The light wave revealed Zoltan's location by causing illusion that made him invisible to be washed away. The people didn't want him to escape so they quickly grabbed him. Although he was a god, he had lost every follower he had. Don also guessed that he was likely weak from the beginning.

Without any preamble Don walked over to the captured god and beheaded Zoltan, causing the god's body to disappear like fading light.

_Quest Update: Slay the Gods_  
_Lu, the god of Light has requested that you kill the lower gods that have encroached upon his territory. Accept and he will offer assistance._  
_Progress 11/19_

Don bent down to pick up the items before anyone noticed.

_You have obtained the spirit of Zoltan!_  
_Wisdom increased by 10 (+10 WIS)_  
_Luck increased by 20 (+20 LUK)_  
_Charisma increased by 20 (+20 CHR)_  
_Your divine affinity has increased_

Don also got a high quality priest robe and some gold, he quickly said to the people, "Arm yourselves and prepare for battle. We will make those dogs regret coming down from the mountains!"

The people around Don began to cheer.

_Leadership increased by 2 (+2 LEA)_

Don's speech was not exactly inspirational, but his charisma was almost 200 now which made people more likely to follow his orders.

Don ran to the gates, by the time he got there, the area already had hundreds of armed men standing by. Although the soldiers had been disarmed and disbanded, the city still had many adventurers, warriors, and guards willing to fight. Or at least they appeared willing. They too were likely followers of Zoltan and had been shaken by the revelation of the false idol's illusions.

Don walked up to the wooden door that was being pounded on and started dancing. The shaken residents saw Don's movements and regained their fighting spirit. Don's Dance of the Brave allowed the people to clear their heads gain the will to fight.

The doors to the city broke through, hundreds of werewolves poured in, and as their did they raised metal spheres which shined with the light of the full moon.

_Dual Blades of Moonlight's light based damage has increased_

Of course the moonlight increased the strength of his swords as well. Don activated the necklace he was wearing. It was a modified light amplifier that people wouldn't recognize as the same thing wore by the werewolves.

_Dual Blades of Moonlight's light based damage has increased_  
_The blades of moonlight have been bathed in concentrated light from the full moon._  
_Additional property revealed._  
_You have learned the skill: Moonlight Slash_  
_When moonlight slash is used with the dual blades of moonlight, its power is increased, but it will lower the durability of the dual blades of moonlight._

Don had no time to check on the new skill, but as long as he was super empowered by moonlight, "Light of the Heavens!"

_Lunar Buff_  
_+100% Ice Affinity_  
_+75% Agility_  
_+40% Increase in light based damage_

When Don activated his racial spell, the moon glowed, but so did his swords. The buff took in all the moonlight from the full moon, the light from the werewolves' spheres, the light from Don's necklace, and the light from both of Don's swords. The timer on the buff started clicking down from 2 hours. Until then, Nothing would be able to stop Don.

Don started dancing. Although werewolves were strengthened by moonlight, they had no resistance to light based attacks. The regular damage of Don's swords was now overshadowed by their light based damage. Although it wouldn't last forever, for now, Don could cut through werewolves like they were made of smoke. Don's blade dancing was nearly impossible to look away from. Although he moved so fast he looked like a small, glowing tornado, he was still dancing.

Don shredded through the werewolves that poured into the city almost as fast as they came through. A dozen or so at a time would try to attack him but to Don they moved in slow motion. Although they were greatly strengthened by the full moon and Don's artifacts, Don gained far more.

Although he still didn't have the leisure of opening and reading the skill description of Moonlight slash, he wanted to use it anyways. He called "Moonlight Slash!" at a group of incoming werewolves. The area around Don darkened a bit but at the same time glowing edges of Don's swords grew brighter and released a thin wave of light that shot out and cut through the group of werewolves

_Dual Blades of Moonlight's durability has decreased_

Don charged forward using the opening his attack had made. The attack was effective even at level 1 due to the light strengthening buffs he had but Don had to use it sparingly. His moonlight blades slowly repaired themselves in moonlight but whether or not they repaired themselves faster than he damaged them during combat was unknown and Don didn't want to risk it.

The speed at which the werewolves charged in doubled, a grey clan captain had shown up and was directing the wolves around Don while he and several others occupied Don's swords. Although most werewolves prefered attacking with their claws, the group that now fought Don six on one each had a sturdy weapon to keep Don's swords from slashing them to ribbons. Don's speed kept him from being pushed back but being unable to kill with each slashed prevented Don from pushing forward.

To Don's relief, a horn sounded from behind as hundreds of werewolves invaded the city. It was the martial horn signalling the arrival of the soldiers. Tolan had lead them to retrieve their weapons and armor and now, although within the city walls, they stood a fighting chance.

However Don was not so lucky. Another sword wielding white werewolf joined the attack on Don and the group pushed back and overpowered Don. Don had little choice but to use his greatest skill. He dropped his guard, looked behind the group and said, "Hit 'em Now!"

Every werewolf turned around to defend against what Don was calling to, only to realized nothing was there. From behind they heard, "Moonlight slash!"

_Skill level up: Bluff [5]__Critical Hit!_

Don quickly cut through the two strongest ones and afterwards was able to defeat the rest. There was some distance between the other werewolves and himself so he had a few seconds.

"Show skill Moonlight Slash."

_Moonlight Slash [1] 53%_  
_Gathers moonlight to the edge of the sword then releases it in a extended slash._  
_Strength determined by the amount of moonlight gathered. The longer you take to gather moonlight, the stronger the slash._  
_Mana cost: 30_

It was an impressive skill. There was so much moonlight around that taking almost no time to gather it could kill a werewolf. But because the skill gathered and released moonlight, it decreased the durability of the moonlight blades, though the attack from them was increased as well.

Don wanted to charge into the heart of the werewolf army but his health was less than a fifth. He ran with blinding speed to the area behind him where werewolves and citizens were fighting and Rose was healing. She saw Don and cast healing hand on him before going back to healing people and quickly smashing werewolves with her mace. Since both Rose and Tolan were in his party, they too received the bonus agility from his light of the heavens buff.

The army of a 1000 some soldiers lead by Tolan rushed to the entrance of the town. Although Werewolves were also rushing inside, they did not have the discipline and formation of the soldiers who mowed through. Don tried to make it to the gate before the soldiers so he could fight against the main force but was stopped time and time again by groups of werewolves who singled him out either because they saw him fight before or because they didn't like how handsome Don looked.

The soldiers made it to the city entrance and pushed the incoming werewolves back and kept going right into the main force. Don couldn't even leave now because it would take a while for a thousand soldiers to go through the narrow city entrance. Meanwhile Don still was attacked left and right by werewolves. Rose made her may close to him, and by proxy the warriors who wanted to stay near rose made it over to Don as well which reduced Don's share.

Twenty minutes later, a little over an hour after the door had been breached, the werewolf army sounded the retreat and divided into parties to route out the remaining werewolves in the city. Don had reached level 206 and his dual wielding skill reached intermediate. By far he had killed more werewolves than any two people, (except maybe Rose and Tolan who also got the +70% AGI buff.) However his experience was far from typical. The moonlight strengthened werewolves provided powerful opponents that were difficult to fight, Don's speed and attack were strengthened to abnormal levels which is why he could kill without difficulty. The werewolf army had in total lost less than a third of their total numbers before retreating to the great surprise of the city. The people attributed this to Lu and his three messengers who lead the city to victory.

The next morning the trio was visited by the politician who they first spoke to.

"The entire city deeply regrets forsaking Lord Lu. We couldn't be more ashamed. Along with the rebuilding of the city, a temple of Lu will be built. You three are the heroes of the city. Please take these as tokens of our gratitude."

She handed each a bag of gold. It's size seemed to be related by the number of werewolves killed. Which was likely why Don's was so large.

Tolan took the bag and said, "You have learned your lesson. If you swear to pass on this lesson so others will not have to suffer such shame, I'm sure Lu will forgive you all."

Basically he said, 'Tell everyone that if you abandon Lu, horrible things will definitely happen.' Don just hoped next time he wouldn't have to be the one who was given the task of making those horrible things happen.

The trio left the city for their next target, but unbeknownst to them, three men followed.


	16. Vol2 Ch6 God of the Sword

Vol2 Chapter 6  
The God of the Sword  
Don let out a great sigh. Rose noticed and said, "They're still following us huh?"

Tolan said, "Yep."

After leaving Gelden it took about two minutes to realize that that three men were tailing them, badly. They walked down the path a few meters behind Don's group and stopped whenever they Don's group stopped.

However Don was pretty sure they weren't thieves. Each bore the same equipment and was likely the same class. They seemed in their late twenties to mid thirties and all wore rusty armor and had under-leveled swords. The previous attempts to relieve Don of... something, were done by people who were well funded, they had equipment that matched their level and their parties had diverse members.

Then again Don's party was not all encompassing either. As a battle priest, Rose relied more on physical damage than magic, so the party had no great magic attacker. Rose did in fact have a spell than increased magic resistance so they could handle the magicians some of the thief parties had as long as they killed them before large spells were cast. If a party was made specifically to defeat their trio, it would have to be several strong attackers. However when a party of seven, made up of two knights, three warriors and two thieves ambushed them two months ago, Don's artifacts dealt with them. He made a charged wire that was weighed and threw it. It wrapped around and trapped while shocking and paralyzing the target. Of course to throw it he had to make and equip special gloves that would prevent him from being electrocuted.

There hadn't been an attempt in a while, either because they haven't assembled a large enough, strong enough party. or because Don's group lost them some time ago.

Don asked Tolan, "You wanna just confront them already?"

Tolan sighed, "Might as well, they haven't done anything yet but this is getting irritating. Best make preparations in case they want to fight." The last bit was to Rose and Don. Rose quietly cast a variety of strengthening buffs and Don got some artifacts out.

The group turned around and walked towards the three men. After getting within earshot, Tolan said, "What do you want?"

One of the three said, "We want to challenge you two to a duel."

Rose said, "Two?"

One of the other men said, "No offense miss."

Rose still looked offended.

Tolan said, "Who are you and why do you seek a fight?"

The men introduced themselves one after the other.  
"I am Geomchi225."  
"I am Geomchi366"  
"And I and Geomchi110"

Don, Rose, and Tolan were stricken dumb. Those were by far the strangest names they had ever come across. But something about them seemed familiar to Don.

Geomchi225 said, "We heard of your strength in combat during the battle and wished to fight you ourselves."

Tolan said, "What, why?"

Geomchi110 immediately replied, "Because it is the nature of the strong to fight."

Don started walking forward and said, "Sounds like fun. I'm game." He found himself smiling at the boldness of the idea to simply fight someone because they seemed strong. Truly a manly course of action, and he would not disrespect them for it.

Geomchi366 asked, "Just you?"

Tolan answered, "I want no part of this, I'm a shield bearer, I fight to protect not to attack." He emphasized this by raising his tower shield."

Geomchi225 said, "Hmm, very well." He seemed disappointed. "Since there are three of us, choose who you wanna fight."

Don was not surprised that they had intended to fight one on one. As for which to choose, there was only one way to answer manliness. Don said, "Whoever is the strongest, step forth."

However...

All three stepped forth at the same time. Then they looked at each other and started arguing.

225 said, "I'm the strongest, I have the highest level!"  
366 said, "Only by 2! I'm the strongest, my Strength Stat is higher than both of yours!"  
110 said, "No, I'm definitely the strongest, my sword mastery is higher than either of yours!"

Don said, "Well, wait a minutes.." The three were arguing louder and Don's voice didn't reach them. One said in the last battle he killed more werewolves than the other two, then another said that the ones he defeated were higher level, then the last said that he defeated more of them simultaneously.

Don decided that if he was a manly idiot, these guys were recklessly manly idiots. From the bits and pieces he heard, the three were separately wondering around the mountains and each followed a herd of werewolves to the battle and found each other there. They had killed many werewolves during the battle but had received no recognition, instead, they heard that the city was saved by the three from the church of Lu. They each decided to fight the three themselves, only to find that the other two had the same idea.

Eventually swords were drawn and they stopped moving. A three person battle is different from a one on one. If left there the stand down would continue for a while.

Don said, "Well, I'm gonna catch up with my party now." and ran off. Rose and Tolan started walking away after the three started arguing and were already far down the road.

The three geomchis said, "Wait!" And started running after.

Rose, Tolan, Don, and three geomchis walked down the road. The geomchis walked a bit of distance behind the other three and continued arguing over who was the strongest.

Rose sighed and said, "How long are they going to follow us?"

Tolan stared at Don like a child who brought a stray cat home and said, "Well?"

Don said, "I don't know. I don't even know how strong they are."

Rose said, "There swords don't look like they have a level requirement of more than 100."

Don shook his head, "But they fought in the heart of that last battle with those weak swords and survived. They must be at least 190, if not more."

Tolan said, "Not interested. The only swordsman we need to think about is our next target."

The next god on the list was quite a bit different from the others. He apparently only had one follower at any one time and had an open offer for anyone who wanted to kill him. Lu apparently only put him on the list because the god himself desired to fall at the hands of a worthy warrior.

Rose said, "Lu told me that only Don was eligible to fight, though I'm not sure what that means. That eligibility is the only reason he is on our list."

The group continued on until noon when the geomchis caught up with them.

Geomchi110 said, "I'll be the one to fight you."

Don asked, "Why you?"

"I'm the strongest." He answered proudly. Only to be knocked on the head by Geomchi225 who said "He won at rock paper scissors."

Don turned to Rose and Tolan and said, "Can you guys wait a bit? It's about time for lunch anyways."

Rose shrugged. The pair took out some of the stored food and set down for a picnic.

Don took out a fully charged light amplifier pendent stored with sunlight and activated it.  
"Light of the heavens."

Solar Buff  
+90% Fire Affinity  
+45% Strength

It wasn't quite noon but it was close enough, with the amplifier his strength and fire affinity got a great boost.

The swordsman took a stance and Don got into position. Geomchi110 dashed forward and Don started Fiery Dance with flame extension. Thanks to the increased fire affinity the flames burned hotter and the flaming whips extended longer. Don whipped the flames at Geomchi who instantly cut through the fire and charged forward, Don's strengthened swords caught Geomchi's attack but the swordsman revolved his sword, diverting Don's parry and striking through the defending blade. But Don's second blade moved to defend as soon as Geomchi started moving through his first. Don turned his body, allowing the strength of the strike to pass to his side. But as Don passed to the side Geomchi's sword strengthened for an instant, pushing its way through the second blade and gashing through Don's side.

Don forcefully turned to allow his first blade to strike at Geomchi's back but after the strike the fleetfooted swordsmen did a second dash beyond the range of the Don's blade. Even the flaming whip that chased him didn't make it in time.

The exchange lasted about a second but in that instant Don understood the difference between them. Don's strength stat was higher, but just barely, and only thanks to his buff. However the Geomchi's swordsmanship was the real deal, not something that he picked up while playing. He knew the way of the sword.

The only way to defeat real skill was to make it a non-issue. He had to push the fight away from close quarters and keep his opponent from taking the pace. However Don quickly realized both were impossible. The flaming whips of Don's empowered dance would keep a normal person at a distance but Geomchi110 plowed through them. He did not have a skill that cut through flames, nor did he have high fire resistance, he just didn't defend against it. Each time he charged through he took fire damage and got burned, and in most of the exchanges he took a piece of Don as well. His skills with a sword also took advantage of any weakness or opening Don gave, without giving any himself.

Cross body parry was useless, even when parried the swordsman left no opening for Don to strike with his second blade. Illusion steps was more useful but each time he used it to dodge or get to Geomchi's blind spot it seemed less effective, like he was beginning to see through it.

The rest of his skills were dances or craft, he had his artifacts but little opportunity to use them. The only thing he had equipped was a ceramic bracelet artifact that connected its movement to whatever it touched while activated. So if Don activated it while touching it to his sword, he could move the sword telekinetically. Sorta. It was more like there was a string connected from the bracelet to whatever it activated with. So Don could throw his sword and recall it from a distance with a jerk of his wrist. At first he made it because it seemed like a cool idea, but there weren't many instances where it was that useful. Don figured he would have to get more creative to make the best use of it.

At first it seemed like Don and Geomchi were, for the most part, evenly matched. That was until Geomchi said, "Alright, warm up is over."

His sword started glowing and his started dashing with each step. Don's dance had some variability in speed but it couldn't increase its speed enough to deal the the heavy fury of blows that came for Geochi110. Power Strike, Thunderous Slash, Rend, Triple Slash, skill after skill was produced by Geomchi's sword and passed with great skill through Don's defense.

Don decided to go for broke and threw his sword and charged forward. Geomchi struck the blade into the air and met Don's sword, pushing it back. Don flung himself sideways, throwing his arm back. He kept himself pushing to distract the swordmen. Neither of the other two geomchis said anything to signal the third what was about to happen. Don's glowing sword flew backwards and pierced the rusty armor of Geomchi110's back and stuck there. The force of the geomchi's sword pushing against his own weakened and Don pushed him back.

Geomchi110 took a knee as his life rapidly dropped. Suddenly a glowing white hand enveloped him. Rose said, "Alright, take that outta his back. It's over."

Don complied and removed the sword, then offered a hand to Geomchi110 to help him up. The swordsman took it and said, "That was pretty good, I still have much to learn."

Don could tell he wasn't acting humble, he actually believed it. Don had to pull out all the stops to keep up with him and had to use a wildcard to beat him. If that had failed Don would've lost, if the sun were lower in the sky, giving him a weaker buff, he would have lost.

Don was used to winning close fights, but this was the first time he fought against someone who had such genuine skill.

Don said, "Please teach me the sword."

Geomchi110 looked shocked. "What?"

Don repeated, "I want you to teach me the sword."

Geomchi225 said, "No can do. Only instructors are allowed to teach. None of us are instructors."

Geomchi110 nodded severely.

Don accepted the truth of their words. He suggested, "Then teach by example, please help me through sparring."

Geomchi366 said, "You're not bad for an ametuer, elf, but you would need a whole lot of sparring to get any better."

Don said, "Then I'll pay you. No, I'll buy each of you a new set of armor and a good sword."

Geomchi110 said, "Each?"

Don answered, "Yes, for any of you who are willing to help me."

Geomchi225 said, "Such training will require us to beat the crap out of you over and over again, no skills, no fancy tricks, just pure swordplay. Why subjugate yourself to this?" He wasn't questioning Don's motive, only his commitment.

Don answered without a thought, "Because it is the manly thing to do."  
He usually didn't put his motto so plainly out in the open, but he felt a certain kinship to these guys.

They seemed to consider it for a moment before Rose causally said, "You know, women do like a man in shining new armor."

Almost at the same time, the three said, "Deal!"

Tolan asked Rose to the side, "Why did you encourage them? Now they'll follow us around like hungry beggars."

Rose answered, "Hungry beggars who know how to handle a sword. The remaining targets are not easy, and Don needs to get stronger. Besides, if all they need for payment is some equipment they are still cheaper than mercenary escorts. There is still a group out there that seeks something of Don's."

Tolan nodded to the logic. Neither of them knew what the bandit groups sought, they asked Don but he simply said that he had a lot of valuable stuff, including the essence of Lu. Apart of their mission was to protect Lu's essence, so any group that demanded Don hand over all his items was an enemy.

For the next two weeks, (real world,) Don's party and the three geomchis made their way to the the Sword god's temple. Tolan and Rose actually traveled at a different pace. They walked normally and the other four ran. Don and one of the geomchi's would spar until Don yielded, after which they ran until until they caught up with Rose and Tolan, Rose healed Don, and they repeated with another spar.

The entire process reminded Don a little of the training hall, except it was far more painful. While in his worse condition after the fight he ran with all his might until Rose healed him, then he was beaten back to his worse condition again. However the training was effective. Don was able to understand many of the techniques they used on him. He learned how reshifting his weight could provide extra power to an attack midslash, he learned the motion to turn away an opponent's blade without losing momentum in your attack, and he learned how different parts of the sword could be used in different ways.

Although he couldn't completely replicate all of the geomchi's techniques, he could understand the basis behind them, and that would give him insight to strengthening his own sword skills.

At some point the group made it to their destination. However it was no temple, it was a large Inn. When the group entered, the shaggy Innkeeper said, "Welcome to the Stone's Throw Inn. Would you like some rooms?"

Tolan looked taken aback. This really wasn't like any god they had met before. Don asked, "I'm here to kill the god of the sword."

The three geomchis turned their heads to Don in surprise, they had not known about their destination.

The Innkeeper looked over the group and said, "Hmm, yes. You may fight him if you wish, and you three may come too, but you two do not have the qualifications.

He addressed Don, then the three geomchis, and Tolan and Rose.

Rose pointed to Don and the Geomchis and said, "So, why can they fight but we can't?"

The Innkeeper said, "Because this isn't just an Inn, it is a Beginner Training Hall, and you two have not completed the Basic Training Hall Program. These four have. In fact I'm quite certain that those three gentlemen have already completed the Beginner training hall as well."

Now Don was at a loss. "Excuse me," he said, "Could you explain what you just said? Beginner training hall?" Don knew of the Basic training hall from a video on the hall of fame and the comments below it, however he had never heard of the beginner training hall.

The Innkeeper said. "You came here without knowing? Very well. The training halls are set up about Versailles to train those who wish it to become stronger, and test them as well. To try your hand at one training hall, you must first pass the ones below it. Below the beginner training hall is the basic. And I can tell you have passed the basic program."

Tolan seemed to understand all the nuances and asked, "But why would a god of the sword set up a training hall?"

"To attract the strong of course," he answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
He continued, "Anyhow, come this way if you wish to fight him, you two will have to stay out here."

Rose seemed to pout as the Innkeeper lead the four men to the back area where he opened a cellar door that lead down.

Don asked Geomchi225, "Why are you guys coming too? You guys already did this beginner training hall right?"

He answered, "No, not this one, with did one in Lavias. And that guy said there was a god of the sword in this one, there is no rule saying we can't fight him." The other two geomchis seemed to agree.

Don said, "Alright."

The cellar was a grand room that fit an entire house inside. The Innkeeper said, "Alright. If you wish to fight the master, you must first pass his trial. My master would be pleased to fight you three as well, but that can only be done after this one completes the trial."

The three geomchis who had already passed a beginner training hall trial went over to the side of the room and sat down. Don was escorted to the center where he took out his swords. The man said, "Combat skills and activated abilities cannot be used down here." He said the second part while looking at Don's ceramic bracelet and continued, "To pass, you must demonstrate you are capable."

The Innkeeper started to walk away and just as Don was about to ask, 'capable of what,' a sword appeared before him and started attacking him. Don struck the sword and it bounced off lightly only to return back like a magnet. He felt a strong slash at his back and rolled forward to get away. He saw that behind him was another floating sword. He saw several more floating around and all coming towards him.

Don started his blade dancing and started striking all the swords around him as the approached, but striking the swords did little but buy time till they came back. He would have to break them to stop the attack but they didn't appear to be made of metal, and more swords were slowly appearing around him with each passing moment.

The three geomchis sat in the corner and talked.  
"Well that's different."  
"Looks fun."  
"How long till he figures it out you think?"  
"Won't take too long, we did train him after all."

Don rapid struck the swords as hard as he could to bash them away or break them, but his strikes weren't sending them very far, and the way they moved after being struck was odd. Don knew what a sword flying thrown into the air looked like, it twirled and bobbed up and down. He had seen it plenty of times while using his ceramic bracelet. But these swords didn't spin, their orientation didn't change that much when struck, in fact not a one that he hit ever turned upside down before returning.

Don recognized the movements of the slashes now, they weren't floating swords that magically struck him, they moved as if they were being held. Don confirmed his suspicion by cutting the air behind one of the swords, his blade felt nothing, but the floating sword dropped, like whatever was holding it dropped it.

Don charged through while slashing the air, several of the swords dropped, but more were appearing with each moment. He had to go back into a defensive dance, something that deflected most attacks while giving few openings. However he could do nothing else. Even if he slashed at every sword body around him, more would take their place in a second.

The area around him was filled with the sound of swords against swords in an endless cacophony of random noise. But it wasn't random. Strange as it was, but Don somehow heard a rhythm in the striking swords. Like a complex song, it had a pattern. If not for the fact that he had written a few songs he would not have noticed, but now he could hear a distinct rhythm in the striking of the swords. Don let himself concentrate on the rhythm, following it, feeling it out.

Don moved forward and struck the air where the sword holding bodies of the seven swords existed. He still felt nothing on his blade, but the swords around him dropped. He did it easily, each sword fought with the same rhythm, and after hearing it in its entirety, he knew which chord came next, which attack pattern followed the previous one, he knew how the swords would move before they actually did.

The geomchis nodded.  
"Looks like he's got it."  
"Yea, an army of the same guy is easy to fight once you get the feel of him."  
"Its different from the one we did but looks like you beat it the same way."

Geomchi110 said, "But these are so much weaker than the steel barbarians we had to defeat." He turned to the Innkeeper and asked, "How many does he have to defeat?"

The Innkeeper causally said, "About twentyfive hundred."

Three hours later Don still swung his swords. Knowing how to defeat them it seemed was the easy part. The true trial was keeping up the concentration to continue to predict attacks while avoiding them and attacking the endless horde. And by far the hardest part was that he had no idea when it would end. The Innkeeper said the test was to prove you were capable, but didn't specify how that was determined. He felt like he had been fighting for a week straight. Time lost all meaning as the endless stream of swords threatened to overwhelm him.

However this was quite similar to the geomchi's training. Fighting, running, more fighting. Although he didn't have Rose to heal him, the mental fatigue alone was just as heavy.

However as the next group he struck fell, he noticed that there were no more. He found that after realizing the fight was over, he was on the floor before he noticed he sat down.

The Innkeeper came up to Don and said, "You have done well. Now for your reward. Whatever action you take, a new skill will be created for you."

Don thought about it and wondered what skill he should make. He already had the ability to create skills as blade dances so it shouldn't be something he could make himself. He decided to try to make a buff that didn't require him to dance to activate it, but he wasn't sure how to do it. In the back of his head, an image formed, an image of a person praying. Don smiled at the idea.

Don got up, put his hands together, closed his eyes, lightly bowed his head, and thought, 'Please grant me strength in my times of need.'

_You have learned a new Skill: Pray_  
_The act of speaking to the gods, offering gratitude or requesting assistance._  
_Effect: Random buff dependent on whichever god decides to answer your prayer. _  
_Chances of success determined by divine affinity, effect strength determined by faith stat._  
_New Stat generated: Faith._

_Current Faith: 163._  
_You have acquired a quest from Lu. +21._  
_You have killed evil gods. +101._  
_You have hunted many of the followers of evil gods. +41._

The skill turned out to be another wild card. Don silently thought to himself. 'Is this a race thing or am I just unlucky?' He wanted to try it out, but the cellar prevented the activation of skills so he would have to wait till he was done. At least he got a new stat. And it seemed that actions that would have raised the faith stat had been recorded this whole time, like a saving account he couldn't access until just now.  
The Innkeeper said, "Well. Do you still wish to fight the sword god?"  
Don said, "Yes, absolutely."  
"Us too!" The geomchis shouted.  
The Innkeeper said, "Very well." He looked over his shoulder to the pile of a hundreds of swords that were all over the floor. They all started floating again. They started flying to the center of the room  
Don turned towards the coalescing mass and felt the familiar presence of the divine, He hadn't felt it before because it was too weak, but now he could feel the god of the sword. A small thought made him wonder if having a high divine affinity had any effects other than sensing the presence of gods.

The sword became a single sword, and a person slowly appeared grasping it. When his form stabilized, he looked at the four swordsmen and said, "Four on one eh? Maybe now I can finally sleep."

The geomchis looked insulted. They said, "We fight one on one only!"

The god of the sword looked amused and said, "Really? I can do that."

He walked forward, then turned left, and right, while continuing forward. He walked into three directions and split into three people. Then the one who was walking forward walked left, and right, splitting once again into two, for a total of four.

One of them said, "Well then, is this better? Now, lets start."

Each of the four rushed to one of them. Don was tired and his body was still heavy, but he met the slash with one sword and turned to counter it with his other. But the strength of the swing was too great, forcing Don to dodge before he could strike. He fought similar to the geomchis but with greater finesse. Each strike was flawless. Don reverted to a defensive dance. Using the appropriate strength to defend against each strike. He planned to keep it up until he found the rhythm of the god of the sword's movements, but he found he could already hear it. The previous swords were a divided portion of him, and used the same rhythm. Although his was more complex and had greater variability, Don could still feel the base line of the rhythm.

The god told Don, "Don't get complacent just yet. I've matched your level, and my health has split in four, but don't think that this will be as easy as my trial." He smiled as he casually walked through Don's defensive dance.

Don jumped back, feeling like an idiot. 'Of course,' he thought. 'My movement to defend against his pattern has a pattern of its own, and he can easily see through it.'  
Now Don realized why this guy hadn't been defeated since opening this training hall. It was like playing chess against yourself, but the person on the other side of the board had a chessmaster counseling his moves. He can see through you and know how to use what he sees.

Don noticed the geomchis weren't doing so well either. At least Don already had a basic idea of the rhythm of the attacks to use, they didn't.

Don decided that his only option was to completely understand the sword god's pattern before attacking. He had to not only see how the sword god would react to being attacked, but see through how he would see through Don's attack and re-adjust.

Don simplified his defensive form to become more predictable and also conserve energy. Occasionally the sword god struck for an opening but the simple form could expand in an instant to change itself to the attack. Almost like a swiss army knife, Don used the techniques and tricks he learned from the geomchis to change the form to what it needed to be.

Don tried to listen for the specific rhythm, the complex, music of the sword god's technique. Even if a technique is flawless, the one using it isn't. Even a god makes mistakes, or has a tell, or a habit. Or so Don kept telling himself.

He continued to bid his time, waiting to hear the true pattern while defending from the sword god's barrage of strikes and remain alive. It took about half an hour but eventually Don heard it. He did not know exactly what made him hear it, but he heard three distinct rhythms that came together to form the sword god's pattern. And somehow he understood what it meant. When attacking, the sword god drew from all three, or some combination of them. He drew from them for each movement, like Don's swiss army knife but smoother. Don could almost see it, he could almost see the next possible move that the sword god would take, but because he always saw at least three possibilities, he couldn't use them to attack ahead of the pattern.

It took another hour of fighting for Don to figure out that he couldn't predict the pattern, it was reactionary, so the act of countering one lead it to change to another. But Don's sword dancing was similar, he eventually found a pattern of his own that choose which attack the sword god used for him, but still left Don at an advantage.

For the first time Don had struck him and the sword god showed an amazed smile.

Don caught a glance at the geomchis. Two were on the ground and one was still fighting. Don figured they had attacked without regard for their defense and health, though their bodies weren't grey so they weren't dead.

Don continued fighting the sword god, using his own reflexes to lead him into openings for attacks. The dance was complex and painstakingly tedious, but slowly Don was able to whittle away at the sword god's health.

Very slowly.

Two hours later and the third Geomchi had fallen. The other two had woken up but had admitted defeat and sat against the wall, watching Don's fight. Eventually the sword god stopped fighting and backed away.

"Thankyou." He said, "Thank all of you." He smiled and turned to light, the light was absorbed into the sword which fell to the floor.

_Quest Update: Slay the Gods_  
_Lu, the god of Light has requested that you kill the lower gods that have encroached upon his territory. Accept and he will offer assistance._  
_Progress 12/19_  
_You have leveled up!_  
_You have leveled up!_

Don walked over to the glowing sword. Usually when a god died it left a glowing sphere which was absorbed when picked up. But this one died willingly and left something else. Don picked up the sword which shattered into light that then entered him.

_You have obtained the spirit of the Sword!_  
_Strength increased by 25 (+25 STR)_  
_Agility has increased by 25 (+25 AGI)_  
_Your divine affinity has greatly increased_  
_You have learned a new skill: Divine Blade_  
_You have earned a title: Inheritor of the God of the Sword_  
_Granted to the one chosen by the God of the sword to inherit his skill._  
_-Increases rate of gained sword mastery_  
_-Increases effectiveness of sword skills_  
_-Increases power of sword skills_

Don collapsed again. This time he was certain he was not going to get up. "Can someone get Rose?"

The Innkeeper left to go get her. She came down later, quite mad at how long he took, but healed them all anyways. She said, "What happened?"

The question was understandable. Usually the fewer the followers the weaker the god, and this one had only one, the Innkeeper.

Don said, "Skill and home field advantage. This place prevents skills from being used."

She said, "But I just healed you."

The Innkeeper chimed in. "Now that he has passed, this place is no longer a training hall."

Don decided to try the pray skill. He knelt his head down and silently thanked the the sword god for making him stronger.

_Your prayer has been heard._  
_+5% Strength_  
_+5% Agility_

Don smiled. It wasn't that the buff was earth shattering, it was that it had no timer. It was perpetual, probably until he died or used the buff again.

Don also wanted to check the other skill. "Show skill, Divine Blade."

_Divine Blade [1] 0%_  
_Uses Strength in addition to Faith to add holy power to sword attacks._  
_Mana Cost: 100 per second._

"Holy crap." The spell had an enormous mana cost.

Tolan asked, "What?"

Don answered, "The sword god gave me a skill that has a huge mana cost, Divine Blade."

Tolan raised an eyebrow. "Never heard of it. I know of Holy sword and Sacred Sword, they are techniques that deal holy damage."

Rose said, "I have a buff called divine might, it changes faith to strength for a bit."

Don explained the details of the skill. Tolan said, "Sounds pretty overpowered if it uses two stats, no wonder it has such a high mana cost."

Don opened his stat menu to see how long he could sustain the skill.

_[Status Window]_

_Avatar Don __Alignment Lawful_

_Race Lunar Elf __Title: Inheritor of the God of the Sword_

_Level 208 __Class Blade Dancer_

_Fame 1090 __Infamy 0_

_Health 8790 __Mana 6870_

_Strength 542+27 __Agility 485+24_

_Wisdom 135+80 __Intellect 181+50_

_Vitality 190 __Affinity to Nature 69_

_Charisma 205 __Charm 255_

_Leadership 40 __Perseverance 254_

_Fighting Spirit 162 __Endurance 138_

_Concentration 112+30 __Luck 120 _

_Insight 21 __Faith 163_

_Attack 920 __Defense 142_

_Magic Resistances None_

_+ Charisma stat is added extra 80 points._

_+ Charm stat is added an extra 80 points_  
_+ Enables you to equip certain items specialized for the class._  
_+ Increases Attack Power while dual wielding swords._  
_+ Enables you to learn secret skills based on your level in Blade Dancing Mastery._

His mana was high enough to use the skill for about a minute. Don looked again over his strange status window. The slaying of gods had given him hundreds of extra stat points, but they were spread out randomly, the distribution determined by the attributes of the god that was slain. But the stats he gained from leveling up went only to strength and agility. He also gained stats by fighting for long periods at low health and taking strong blows when he could.

Don asked the Innkeeper, "So you gonna be ok?"

He nodded solemnly. "It is the end he wished for. He fought until he was satisfied and left something behind to a worthy swordsmen."

Don asked, "So you know what Divine blade is?"

He nodded. "It was his original technique." He smiled at Don and said, "You'll see."

The group left the Inn and went continued to the nearest city. Don found the best armorer in the city and bought each geomchi a shining set of armor and a new sword. They had no special attributes but the defense and attack were up to par with their levels. They were also quite expensive, but Don felt obligated.

Even with his larger volume of stats, the geomchis were still stronger. In Royal Road, skill mastery has a greater effect on overall strength than levels or stats and the geomchis likely had a sword mastery several levels higher than Don's. Don felt they only fell during the fight because of the low level equipment, which wasn't right.

To confirm it, after they equipped their shiny new armor, he requested one more spar, and was soundly defeated by Geomchi366. (He won the rock paper scissors that time.)

"Well, goodbye Geomchis. It was an honor to train under you." Don said as they parted.

Geomchi225 said, "You're not bad for an elf."  
Geomchi366 said, "Keep training, 10,000 practice swings a day!"  
Geomchi110 said, "Good luck Don."

And with that, they separated and left.


	17. Vol2 Ch7 Battle of the Church

Vol2 Chapter 7 Battle in the Church

Don entered his engineering graphics and design class ten minutes early as usual. It gave some time for him to wake up so he could pay attention to the teacher and retain the instructions. Three of the five classmates who took that class with him seemed like minded, for they were always there before him, no matter how early he came.

The three talked of the same thing they always talked of, Royal Road. In the first day, the teacher helped the class established that everyone played royal road there, including the teacher himself. It had been a month and a half since then and the three talked of royal road nonstop.

It wasn't unpleasant to listen to, not entirely. But it was pretty boring. One would brag about how he had killed a rare beast who dropped a rare ring. Or was it an armlet? He had already forgotten. Another spoke of how he got a high familiarity with an NPC who gave him a quest that was apart of a chain quest. That one sounded interesting, but only up to the point where one day the guy said that he failed one of the quests in the chain, wasting the whole of it. The third did not brag much or speak out of turn. He asked questions and gave suggestions that seemed at least to some degree, insightful. He also occasionally looked up to Don, watching him listen to them. But usually he never said anything to Don. Maybe he was waiting for Don to say something to him first.

This day, the young one, a lad straight out of high school named Theron said, "I should have become an enchanter. Then I could make awesome equipment filled with magic and become rich selling it."

Janice, the only woman in the class, who although had the slight face of youth was in fact in her early thirties, said, "I hear that the material required to enchant equipment is so expensive, those of the profession barely break even."

Theron said, "Well how can they not make money? As long as they charge more for the cost of materials than they pay for them, they should make something, no one works for free."

It was then that Jace, the quiet one said, "That's the price of failure. The success rate of enchantments isn't perfect, many a valuable material is wasted in failure, and to keep up shop, the enchanters must charge enough to cover labor, materials used, and materials wasted. If they are not confident the price will sell, they cut they labor cost, and sell just for, or less than the price of materials. Some money is better than none."

Theron said, "So you can't really get rich as an enchanter till you never fail."

Janice replied, "But to get there you need to enchant often to raise proficiency, and that road will have many failures, thus will cost a lot of money."

Theron grimaced, "Is there no way to make money fast?"

Jace said, "Well, I heard artificers can make amazing items that sell for a lot and are cheap to make."

At this, all three turned to Don. He had never acknowledged that he had the artificer class, but that didn't mean they were far off. Thanks to Bob and Actos, Don knew more about artificing than most, though his proficiency was not yet to intermediate. Still it did not look like the stares would end any time soon. Don spoke up. "I don't know, I don't sell the things I make."

Theron took the answer as an invitation to include Don in the conversation and let loose an assortment of questions Don would swear he had been saving. "What kinds of things can you make? How are you different from an enchanter? How can you become an artificer?"

Don thought about the second question for a bit before answering. "I make gadgets with odd abilities, objects that can cast spells, and random stuff. An enchanter enchants an existing item. Artificing requires you make it from scratch. If you wanna learn artificing, find a gnome."

Janice said, "You can make items that cast spells? What kind of spells? Why don't you sell them?"

Don answered, "The precision required to make them is as delicate as brain surgery. I've attempted to make dozens of different types of spell casting items, but the only spell I succeeded in was a simple strength enhancing spell. And out of the forty some attempts I did, only three came out right. Right now I'm concentrating on effects, things that are not quite spells, but close and useful."

It was true. For every success came a dozen failures, and that was just with the moderate stuff. The one time he had massed produced an artifact was only possible because the effect was a simple and dealt with light. Every night in Royal Road he rented a room at an Inn with a table and spent the hours trying different projects from Bob's or Actos' books. Not counting the light amplifiers, his success rate in making a good artifact was 1 in 25. And that was the average quality ones.

Don said, "My materials may be cheaper, but my success rate is lower than that of an enchanter." That wasn't entirely accurate when he thought about it. Fact was, he was trying out projects of a much higher difficulty then his beginner level skill would allow to succeed. But he wanted to familiarize himself with the funny sciences of Royal Road's artificing.

Jace asked, "Can you make weapons?"

Don answered, "Artifact weapons can't be made until I hit intermediate artificing."

Theron asked, "What kind of weapons could you make?"

Don thought back to the illustrations in the book Bob had given him. Pistol-like artifacts that shot magic bullets, sword hilts that made the blade of the sword invisible, shields that reflected directional magic like a mirror, not to mention the exotic ideas for artifact weapons that were in Actos' book.

Before Don could answer, the teacher came in and class started. Don could tell the others were curious to continue, but would not get their answers til next week. Don had another two classes right after this one, and wouldn't see the others until the next class on the following monday.

The following friday Don woke up at 8am, ate breakfast and logged in to royal road.

As always they agreed to meet up at the gate of the city at 10am, and as always Don logged in two hours early so he could spend eight hours of royal road time practicing his artificing at an Inn. Today, as always, he was trying to make something above his skill set. It was a mana cartridge. The equivalent to ammo for a magic gun.

Magic guns are the weapon of choice for combat artificers. They take stored mana from mana cartridges and convert them to magic shots. The type of shot depends on the gun and quality of the mana cartridge. A magic gunner is somewhere between an archer and mage in range and damage. The shot's accuracy decreases greatly over a long distance so the accuracy is less than that of an archer, and because the gun determines the shot type and damage, they usually have less power and flexibility than a mage (unless they equip multiple guns). The upside is that the magic spells are already inscribed in the gun so their firing speed only depends on how fast they intake the required mana from the cartridge, making them faster than a mage casting spells. And although they lack the piercing power of a sniper's arrow, magic damage can be more useful in certain situations.

Don had no use for a magic gun, but he still wanted to make one for the hell of it. But doing so required an absolute minimum of intermediate level artificing for just the slightest chance of success. However, mana cartridges could be made with high beginner level artificing, so he wanted to start practicing. He started with low grade cartridges. They could be used with weaker mana guns and could store enough mana for six to twelve shots, depending on how efficient the gun was and how much mana was needed per shot.

Don had the blueprints for a the basic model of cartridge and a list of its required components. He started hammering the thin metal plates to form two sided edges that could be put together to form the casing. After he was satisfied with the form, he slowly, carefully, painstakingly begun to inscribe the sygs into their proper place. After that, he started inscribing the sygs into the crystal pieces he had for the heart of the cartridge. Carving crystal is something he had gotten the hang of pretty well, he had a knack for it, which meant he was better able to make magic artifacts. It seemed that the gnome, Bob, did not have the knack for it, probably why he went to automatons in the first place.

After carving the right sygs he assembles the components and looked over the piece. Don however couldn't use it. Most spell casting artifacts would charge themselves with outer mana over time, but the simple cartridge required inner mana, and the magic gunner needed a spell to charge it. The spell also required a lot of mana. To charge the cartridge Don had made would cost about 1500 mana points. Stronger cartridges that could hold more shots needed more mana to fill. The best magic gunners used guns whose cartridges needed over 20,000 mana points to fill.

Since Don couldn't learn magic yet (needed 300 INT to be able to, his base INT is 181), he couldn't cast the spell to charge them. This was a common problem he faced, artificers were expected to have certain knowledge and capabilities which he didn't have.

This also meant that if Don wanted to use a magic gun he made, even once, he would have to somehow put over a hundred stat points into INT, or get someone else to charge the cartridge for him. But he didn't want to waste stat points or ask someone for help.

Don thought about the other spell casting items the books had that charged themselves with outer mana and wondered if he could make a self charging cartridge. He opened the books and started working at it.

Six hours later and he had yet to succeed. The problem was that magic gun shots were modified arcane or holy spells, both of which required inner mana. But the spells used by spell casting artifacts mostly seemed to be a variant of spirit or nature magic, which used outer mana. Warrior's might for example called the spirit of a mighty warrior to lend its strength to a party. So the mechanism these artifacts had to draw in mana, only drew in outer mana, and the cartridges only stored inner mana. Actos' book did in fact have a guide to converting outer mana to inner mana and the other way around, but it was way over his head for now. He decided to practice using the sygs in the conversion by making other projects that used them, but that was for another time.

Don left the Inn and went for the city gates where Tolan and Rose were waiting.

Don asked, "So, where are we off to this time?"

She asked in response, "Depends, have you used that divine blade skill yet?"

Don hadn't yet, it used too much mana and most fights he took part in were long and drawn out.  
"Not yet."

Tolan said, "Try it out."

Don thought, 'why not,' and said, "Divine Blade," while holding a sword out.

His swords erupted in light which looked like glowing mist. It looked similar to Tolan's Holy fire skill but it wasn't hot.

Don's mana was dropping like a rock, using the skill while holding both blades doubled the effect and mana drain rate, and after five seconds he stopped the skill.

Rose whistled, "That'll do. There was this god I was saving till you got stronger but with that you'll be fine."

"What god?" Don asked.

Tolan smiled, "A god of the deathless."

"Deathless?" He asked again.

Rose answered this time, "Another word for undead. This god has followers who are all dead, so just re-killing them won't decrease the amount of followers to weaken the god. They will need to be purified with holy attacks."

Don said, "So now that I have access to holy attacks it is a good time to go."

Tolan said, "Yea, Lu said attacking these guys with holy attacks will prevent respawning later. So this will kill them permanently."

Don said, "You know I can't use the skill for more than half a minute right? And then I have to wait for my mana to refill."

Rose said, "That's fine. We'll take out time and slowly exorcise the whole place. Since Lu despises the undead this will award faith stat points as well."

The group traveled for four days until they reached the graveyard church, the entrance to the dungeon. When they arrived, they found that the place was guarded by a small group of armed men in matching uniforms.

"Welcome to the Church of the Undead. This dungeon is off limits to nonguild members, especially those who use holy attacks. Please be on your way."

Tolan said, "Excuse me?"

The other guard said, "This dungeon is owned by the Forsworn Guild, if you wish to enter, you must be apart of our guild. Though the priestess wouldn't be allowed either way. These undead are rather allergic to holy attacks and we want to keep our hunting grounds full."

Don sighed. This was more and more common nowadays. Most gods were holed up in dungeons and many dungeons had owners. The trio was lucky that so far only two of the previous gods lived in dungeons that had guild owners. In those two the group was able to go in and kill the followers and god.

Tolan said, "We are envoys of the Church of Lu, the sovereign god of these lands. By orders of Lu, the undead of this church will be permanently purified."

One of the guards said, "Purify? No way. An empty dungeon is worthless to our guild."

Rose said, "Are you protecting the enemies of the Church of Lu?"

The guard said, "Don't give me that, this is an important training area for the guild and you lot aren't taking it from us."

Rose smiled and said, "We'll be back tomorrow."

Rose turned around and stormed off with Don and Tolan in tow.

Don asked, "What now?"

Tolan said, "Now you'll see why smart people don't mess with the church."

The next day, Rose said, "Alright, Lu has declared the Forsworn guild enemies of the church."

Don didn't know where the guild's base was, but right now it would not be a nice place. Lu would have given that message to every church and the church would give contribution points to anyone who killed a declared enemy of the church. Contribution points to a large organization like a church or noble family can be cashed in for favors, followers, or rare equipment. Besides users and NPCs who want contribution points, the churches themselves would send their paladins to fight the enemies.

The group went back the the dungeon which still had guards, but this time they were paladins, a lot of paladins. It seemed that before the group even reached the dungeon and the other guards had been killed or had escaped.

The guards saluted the group and one said, "Greetings brother. I have been told to give you this message from the high priest of the local church."

Rose took it and started reading. After which she started laughing maniacally.

Don and Tolan gave her questioning stares which she answered to, "It seems that the Forsworn guild didn't forbid access just to keep it for themselves, they blocked it off to prevent people from finding out that many members were in fact followers of the god of the deathless."

Tolan raised an eyebrow and said, "So they actually were enemies of the church of Lu?"

Rose's continued laughing answered that question.

One of the paladins said, "When this was found out the high priest ordered us to block the entrance to prevent any of the guild members inside from escaping. We are to follow your orders and provide assistance if required."

Tolan said, "Thankyou, hold here for now. Should we need assistance we will return for you."

Don was pretty surprised. He knew the point of the quest, besides raising his divine affinity, was to kill off Lu's competition before their following increased, but this was the first time that he found users who were following their target.

Rose seemed to have some idea about what Don was thinking and said, "This kind of job is pretty common. The only difference is that when we did it before we didn't kill the god at the end. There was no need to, without followers they don't cause much trouble."

Don thought, 'So the extra effort is for my sake?'

Rose said, "Divine Might, Shield of Faith, Light of Lu," Divine might which added faith to the strength stat was now very useful for Don who now had the faith stats. The church looked abandoned and musty, behind the preacher podium was an opened door in the floor that lead down into the dungeon.

Inside they encountered a deathknight riding a black, skeleton horse and a dozen skeleton knights and skeleton mages. Don used divine blade and charged in. The deathknight charged forward yelling, Don used illusion steps to fake him out and run behind him. His targets were the skeleton mages. Before the deathknight could turn around, Tolan engaged him. The skeleton knights charged forward to block but Don's swords swept through them without resistance. The skeleton mages cast their curse magic and Don blocked them with his moonlight swords. The pair had strong resistance to curses. Don hacked away at the group of mages before they could recast and turned to finish off the skeleton knights. His mana was almost gone, he had about 10 seconds left. He used fiery dance and the white mist that swirled around his bladed exploded outwards, he looked like he carried two white infernos, one on each hand. He used flame extension and the last of the skeleton mages were burned and purified, leaving not even bone ash.

Rose and Tolan had dealt with the death knight and came forth, Tolan asked, "What the hell was that?"

Don said, "Divine blade and fiery dance, it seems the skill stacks well."

Rose asked, "What about Divine blade and gale dance?"

Don had enough mana for a few more seconds, enough to try at least, so he reactivated divine blade and used Gale dance and threw Gale Blade.

The wind around Gale Dance glowed white and the wind that was sent with gale blade was also white.

Tolan said, "The god of the sword left you something good."

"I still have to rest to recover my mana." He replied. Don took out the sculpture of the Artificer and let everyone look at the masterpiece to increase mana and health recovery for the day.

It took about twenty minutes for Don's reserves of mana to fully restore and the party continued. Level 200 named death knights and wraiths were the strongest of the mobs in the dungeon. Death knights that rode on horses were fairly strong, but the wraiths were the worse. They were a strange combination of ghoul and spectre that could be both solid and corporeal at the same time. Holy strikes still damaged corporeal beings but it could escape through walls if not killed quickly, and their magic was powerful.

After the first four floors, thing became different.

Four well equipped zombie soldiers charged forward yelling, "Forsworn!" And were quickly slain.

Rose said, "Well that was anticlimactic."

Tolan said, "We got undead users now. Hopefully they'll all be that stupid."

It turns out they weren't. Death knights lead organized squads of undead users with wraiths passing through walls using hit and run tactics.

Unfortunately for the Forsworn guild, Tolan was a shield bearer. Tolan's tower shield could protect all three of them, any damage he took would be healed by Rose and Don could send small bursts of divine gale blade to the attackers.

One of the best parts about dealing holy damage to an undead is that even if it doesn't kill them, it weakens them like a curse.

That being said, Don's attacks were like a grenade being thrown to suppress the real damage dealer was Rose. She didn't have spells that dealt holy damage, but her wide area cure spells damaged all the same with a purifying effect. Though it didn't have the weakening effect of actual holy damage.

It was slow work. It took 2 days to reach the boss room.

Inside, the last members of the guild were hold up. They had actually fortified the boss room to make it harder to the trio to beat. It was known that the head of the church was a level 270~ish lich who called himself the church's high priest. If a person was willing, a lich could turn a man undead, there were even some who could do it even if you were unwilling. Though this one was not that strong, a lich is still one of the strongest undead species, their curses and black magic were formidable.

Don said, "You know, we're not gonna be able to defeat all of them and the lich right?"

The remaining 40 or so guild members were all waiting in arms. They had been buffed by the lich and would annihilate whoever came into the room.

Rose said, "Yea, lets call for backup."

An hour later 30 paladins and 15 priests of the church of Lu joined up. Since all the remaining guild members were holed up, the men guarding outside didn't need to stay there and stop people from leaving.

The large force of the church of Lu charged forth with Tolan and two other two shield bearing paladins leading the charge.

Shouts came from the undead guild members, "WHAT?! You said there'd only be Three of them!"

Someone called out accusingly, "You were supposed to come yourselves!"

Rose said, "Which is why we didn't you numbskull!"

Since the person who shouted first actually was a skeleton knight with a skull for a head, Don cracked up a bit.

The lich shouted, "Surrender your souls to our god and your deaths will be quick!"

Don charged behind the shieldbearer paladins and rushed towards the lich. When he got close he used gale dance and divine blade to wrap torrents of swirling white light around his swords. Don found that the damage wasn't as high as the divine blade fiery dance combo but the swirling vortex around the swords tended to completely block out black magic that passed through it, protecting Don from the lich's curses and powerful dark spells.

The lich quickly cast shadow pierce, causing the shadow behind the lich to rear up, turn to points and rapidly extend towards the group. The powerful spell pushed through the gaps of the shields towards Don only to evaporate upon touching the divine light spiraling around Don's swords.

Several wraiths shrieked and tried to attack the shield bearing paladins but were blocked by the paladin's skill, Holy Aura, that damaged and prevented the amorphous beings from sliding through their defenses.

When Don was in range he ordered the paladins to make sure his fight wasn't interrupted for the next twenty seconds and started slashing at the lich. Each slash left a glowing cut on the lich's skin, showing the harmful effect of holy damage."

"Get away!" It cried, it backed away while casting quick curses and black magic spells but the swirling light around the blades weakened or negated all attacks. The lich started to fight back with its stave but Don's strength surpassed the lich and one stave couldn't block both of Don's swords.

However time was almost up, he had at most seven seconds and the lich was nowhere near dead, severely weakened by the barrage of holy strikes, but not dead.

Don got beneath his stave defense and plunged both his swords into the lich, the light tornado around the swords shredding outwards. A moment later and his mana was gone and the lich was still alive.

Although it was covered in scars that glowed white and its abdomen was practically erased but Don's last attack, it gave Don a look that said he would not allow Don to die painlessly.

It tried to grab Don who pulled his swords out and tried attacking, but by this time two skeleton mage users had cast curse magic at Don from both directions.

_Afflicted with Black feather Curse_  
_-Weight has increased by 143%_  
_Afflicted with Dark mark of Mourning_  
_-Stamina regeneration stops_  
_-Stamina consumption rate at 3x normal_

'Crap!. This is why I hate skeleton mages.' Don suddenly felt like he had just came back from sprinting a 30 kilometer marathon. Black magic had a wide variety of curses that could stack with one another and lasted until holy water was used or a purifying spell was cast.

Don used all his energy to jump back and yell, "I got cursed,"

Rose shouted, "Light of our lord shine through to dispel and cleanse this follower of the path, Purify!"

Don was surrounded is a sparkling light, however though the black feather curse vanished, the dark mark of morning didn't. It seemed it was a higher level curse beyond Rose's ability to dispel, Don would have to use holy water but he didn't have time to break one out.

Since Don couldn't deal any more divine damage anyways, he retreated to the back. A large group of paladins started attacking the weakened lich, it died a few minutes later, lowering the morale of the remaining undead, removing the buffs the lich had bestowed upon the undead before, and providing Don with a level's worth of experience for his part in the fight. The rest of the battle was easy, though Don didn't take part. He wanted to wait until everyone was dead (and not coming back) before using the vial of holy water he had on hand.

However, before the last members of the church had fallen to the paladin's swords, a dark roar filled the room.

Don yelled, "It's Coming!" He could feel it, though he hadn't taken out Lu's essence, it seemed that this god had been observing and wouldn't let its last five worshippers die so easily.

A man who appeared to be made out of shadow formed, it looked similar to awraith but it was larger and had elegant garments and a hood over its face. Don wasn't sure if it even had a face, but before he could see for sure, the wraith like god's shadow extended over the entire room.

_You have been afflicted with Deathless_  
_-Life cannot be gained_  
_-Should you die, you will become undead_  
_-If undead, 40% increase in Strength and Intellect_  
_-If undead, your body may act against your will in accordance with the god of the Deathless_  
_-If undead, prevents damage from healing magic_  
_-If undead and health reaches zero, Deathless returns health to 50% of maximum._

Shadow seemed to attach itself to everyone, the remaining undead guild members became empowered, several of the fallen undead mobs began to rise. (Some lazy paladin must not have dealt the final strike with a holy attack.)

Don decided that now was as good a time as any and broke the vial of holy water he got from a church of Lu atop his head.

_You got Holy Blessing of Lu_  
_Defense +17%_  
_Health regeneration speed increased by 17%_  
_You are protected from dark magic, until holy water on your clothes dries._  
_Your stamina has increased. Increase in stamina may be utilized in various activities._

Broken sword skills weren't the only way Don had to protect himself against dark magic and curses, the shadow of the deathless god fell away from Don as the holy water soaked into his leather vest. He charged to attack the undead guild members.

Though Don couldn't be hurt by whatever dark magic the god of the deathless had, Don himself still had almost no mana and couldn't attack something that was likely corporeal, so he decided to distract the undead so the other church members could apply holy water to themselves.

Tolan it seemed had other ideas, Don saw him take out several vials of holy water and throw them at the undead. Don thought, 'that stuff isn't cheap, does he get it for free?'

The shadow fell away from the undead who the vials hit and burned them, the paladins took advantage of their pain to slaughter them. The giant wraith god saw where this was going and tried to flee through a wall, before Don could yell for someone to stop it, the god of the deathless was surrounded by white light and seemed to fall to its knees. Don looked over to see that one of the shieldbearing paladins that had come along had cast some magic on the god. He yelled to Don, "He can't shift right now, he's solid, go finish him!"

Don didn't need more encouragement than that so he charged forward and started slashing relentlessly. The god tried to attack Don but the effect of the holy water didn't wear off till it dried, something that would take a while thus leaving the wraith no opportunity to damage Don. With the recovered stamina from the holy water Don had just enough energy to finish off the god.

_Quest Update: Slay the Gods_  
_Lu, the god of Light has requested that you kill the lower gods that have encroached upon his territory. Accept and he will offer assistance._  
_Progress 12/19_  
_You have leveled up!__You have rid the church of its undead inhabitants_  
_Faith increased by 17 (+17 FAI)_

Don found the black marble of the wraith's spirit next to a strange shadow like cloth and picked up the loot.

_You have obtained the spirit of the Wraith!_  
_Wisdom increased by 20 (+20 WIS)_  
_Intellect has increased by 20 (+20 INT)_  
_Your divine affinity has increased_

Don put all the stat points he gained from leveling into either strength or agility, so he always noticed that god spirits rarely gave either. Don could only guess it was because so few gods, (that he fought) relied on either to fight.

Don looked over the items dropped and said, "Identify."

_Black Star Sapphire [2]_  
_Durability 70/70_  
_A beautiful black sapphire that holds a shine in the shape of a star. It is one of the hardest gems, right below diamond and this variety of color is very rare._

_Veil of the Wraith_  
_Durability 30/30_  
_A beautiful cloth whose fabric is smoother than silk. It shimmers darkly, almost as it it was made of shadow. It will not provide much defense if worn, as it is so thin._  
_Other properties unknown._

Another god japtem drop. Don didn't know what it would make, but it might make a nice cloak. Don's homemade cloak that was meant to keep people from seeing his face was pretty low quality and sometimes attracted stares itself. Don was also happy with the gems. He would given one to Rose and Tolan to sell or share between themselves but he would sell the other to pay for the labor cost of turning the fabric into a cloak.

Don walked up the the paladin who froze the god and prevented its escape and said, "Thankyou, your help was greatly appreciated."

The paladin said, "No problem, I happen to be quite good with sealing spells. You didn't do so bad yourself, I saw how you handled that lich before, you didn't deal the last blow but you still killed it, thanks to all those holy attacks you weakened it with I could seal most of its energy and our fight was pretty easy considering how strong it was."

Don couldn't argue with that. Don didn't know the specifics of this lich but liches in general were very difficult opponents. Not that it mattered too much, sure Don weakened it but this raid was still almost tailor made for this boss room so they would have likely prevailed regardless of Don's participation.

Don decided to change the subject, "I've seen a few paladins but none with sealing abilities."

The paladin nodded, "You have haven't you, you a friend of Tolan's?"

And with that, Don realized that this paladin was not an NPC as he thought, but a user. It made him wonder how many others in the room were users.

Don said, "No, I asked Lu for help with something and he assigned me a church quest to help me. He lent me those two as backup."

The paladin said, "Ah, I see, in that case, you wanna be friends? I could help you with some stuff if those two won't."

_Ramen has sent you a friend request_  
_Accept?_  
_Yes|No_

"Sure." Don had no reason to refuse, Ramen seemed like a manly man, and he had a cool name.

_Ramen has been added to your friend list._

Ramen smiled and said, "Alright, see you around."

He left with the other paladins and priests and Tolan and Rose left with Don.

News spread throughout the kingdom of the fate of the Forsworn guild. Though few names were mentioned, the NPCs all told the tale of the guild that defied the church of Lu and was erased half a week later.

Don still had five days left before monday so he went to the local specialty tailor and asked for a cloak to be made of the wraith's veil. She told him it would only take an hour or two because the cloth seemed easy to work with. Don sold the gem to the local jeweler for gold and trade. Don needed more crystals and some gemstones for his artificer projects.

He spent the remainder of the day looking around the shops for more supplies and to sell the japtem of the undead and the equipment of the fallen guild members.

After wandering around for a while Don returned to the tailor shop to retrieve the the cloak.

The tailor looked most pleased with her work, the cloak had a dark sheen to it that glimmered like star light.

She said, "A most unusual fabric, if you come across anything like it again, please sell it to me," with a smile as Don handed her the payment and she the cloak.

"Identify."

_Cloak of Shadow_  
_Durability 45/45_  
_Defense: 15_  
_A beautiful cloak woven of shadow cloth that melts into the darkness. _  
_In daylight it appears to be a normal cloak but at night or in darkness it hides the wearer from onlookers._  
_Requirements_  
_Level 220_  
_Intellect 200_

_Effects_  
_Less noticeable during the day_  
_Become unnoticeable at night or in dark places_

Don was surprised by the wording of the effect, he asked, "It makes you invisible?"

The seamstress laughed lightly and said, "No, it strengthens the darkness around the wearer, making him look like a shadow. People don't look at a shadow, they won't notice it. But that only works as long as there is no reason to look. Unlike invisibility, when someone notices you in this, really notices you, they will see you just fine."

Don understood. People wouldn't look in his direction unless he drew attention to himself. "Perfect," he said. Don equipped the cloak of shadow and admired it.

The seamstress said, "But be careful, that cloth is not weak, but it isn't strong neither, don't be wearing it while fighting." She nodded at her own statement and Don nodded back, keeping it in mind as he walked to an Inn to start practicing more artificing.


	18. Vol2 Ch8 The Crazy Miracle

Vol2 ch8 The Crazy Miracle

Don sat at a table inside a room at a local Inn. On the table was an egg larger than a basketball and as smooth and white as ivory. The egg of the holy dragon Thessalanos. For the past several months, Don had been going all over Sairei and its neighboring kingdoms looking for minor gods on the hit list of a major god, Lu, to destroy them so Don could absorb their essence and obtain a higher divine affinity. The point of such hard work was that if by the time this egg hatched, his divine affinity was 'outstandingly high,' the dragon would give him its loyalty and he could raise it as his own.

The egg itself had grown considerably over the past few months. Before long it would likely be too large to be stored in his inventory, after that he would have to carry it in a sack on his back until it hatched.

Don looked closely at the egg and focused his eyes. When he did, he saw a light blue mist in the air that the egg looked like it was absorbing. He realized some time after first seeing this that what he was seeing was mana, and somehow if he concentrated he could clearly see it. 'Likely another side effect of divine affinity,' he thought. He also hoped that meant his divine affinity was close to outstandingly high.

He placed his hand on the egg and felt its warmth. He also saw that the mana that naturally emitted from his hands and fingers was flowing into the egg, like it was breathing it in. Somehow this made him feel hopeful that it would be loyal to him.

Lately he had been experimenting with this mana sight while artificing. He could see how different sygs affected mana. He found that outer mana in the air changed its behavior when it came into contact with a syg. Don still couldn't use magic but thanks to mana sight that would no longer bring down the quality of his artificing.

His current project was an original of his. Using the syg he learned himself, for Blood Empower, he was making a large ring that would increase his stats, at a cost of some of his maximum health. He tried the new syg in several combinations with others to see how it would react, using the mana flow he saw around it to determine its effectiveness.

Finally, using a layered syg combination that included, Blood empower, Draw energy, Store Energy, and Energy channeler, he made a large ring that had a sustained mana flow around it that would strengthen in the presence of blood.

"Identify."

Flowing Blood ring.  
Durability 45/45  
Defense 5

The shedding of blood will not be in vain. Take power from your wounds and strike back!  
This artifact ring will take power from drawn blood and give that to its wearer.

Restrictions:  
Level 130  
Strength 200

Equips:  
-15% maximum life  
+5 Strength  
+5 Agility  
When the wearer's life is reduced by 20%, Additional +5 all stats  
When the wearer's life is reduced by 40%, Additional +10 all stats  
When the wearer's life is reduced by 80%, Additional +20 all stats

Don smiled joyfully. It had taken a lot of time of trial and error to make it but he crafted a ring that would strengthen its wearer when the wearer was injured. Plus the effects stacked; at 20% max life, the wearer would have +40 to STR and AGI, and +35 to the rest. And the best part was that since he created it, he knew it well enough to make more with a high success rate. Although he had never sold one of his higher quality artifacts, making and selling these alone would mean that he would never again have to worry about money. Of course the loss of life effect would mean many high level players wouldn't be interested and the restriction meant low level players couldn't even wear it, but there were more mid level players than high and low combined, so he had nothing to worry about.

Don spent the night making twenty rings, the next morning he went to a sorcery shop and showed his wares.

The NPC at the counter said, "Ohh, these are quite nice, and so many of them. I can buy for 210 gold a piece."

Don smiled and as the gnome Bob had taught him, let the haggling begin. He first complimented the store's wares and said that he came to this store because it was the nicest one in the small city. Then he gently reminded the owner that it was not the only one, there was a large general store and several trinket stores that would buy these and would pay well for them too. After a few minutes he haggled the price to 275 gold a ring and shook the storekeeper's hand.

The NPC took out the gold payment and set it on the counter. Then he said, "Pleasure doing business with you." However before giving Don the money, almost as an afterthought he said, "Ah, I will need to see your license."

"License?" Don asked.

The man said, "You know, the license that is proof you are able to make and sell artifacts. These are clearly artifacts and you clearly made them. Now, your license?"

Don fidgeted and said, "I don't have a license..."

The man gave a bitter look, sighed, and took the gold off the table. "I'm sorry, but I cannot buy from an unlicensed artificer."

Don said, "What? But these are good, you said so yourself! I'll lower the price, 240 gold a ring."

The man shook his head, "No, it is against the law. I'm sorry, but no merchant will buy those from you at any price."

Don said, "90 gold pieces a ring, and that's selling at cost, come on.." Though small, the materials were not cheap, and high success did not mean materials weren't wasted, he had to at least make back what he put in.

The man said, "Look, if I buy artifacts made by an unlicensed artificer, I could lose my shop. It is the law. You could not give those away. Now if you really want to make and sell artifacts, go get a license."

Don sighed in defeat, "And where can I get a license?"

The shopkeeper said, "Not here, an artificing school. I heard there is one in the north of Aidern Kingdom."

Aidern kingdom was west of Sairei, he had passed through it on his way to Sairei kingdom many months ago. Don sighed. It seemed after his dragon hatched he would have to go there. And thanks to this small venture, he was now flat broke.

Don met up with Tolan and Rose, and offered them a ring.

Tolan said after examining it, "I'm not in a position that can afford to lose life, it's worthless to me."

Rose likewise said, "I'mma priest, if you guys have lost enough life for this to be useful, I'm not doing my job."

She had a point, she would usually keep them both above 50% health during even tough battles.

Don put on a ring for the hell of it and put the rest back into his inventory. At the very least fighting with reduced health was a good way to build up the Endurance and Fighting Spirit stats.

"So who is out target this time?"

Rose said, "Well, we got three gods to go, two of them aren't too difficult, but the third is a shadow god. As a god of Light, Lu and this guy are not on good terms, so we're gonna take him now and take out time with the last two."

Don asked, "If you saved him for one of the last, how strong is he?"

Tolan said, "Not so much strong as dangerous. He moves around constantly and Lu can't keep track of him very well. The size of his following is likewise unknown. Recently they picked an abandoned temple as their hideout and converted it into a Shadow Temple. That's the reason Lu could tell Rose their location now."

Don frowned, usually they had more info than this. He said, "Know anything else?"

Rose said, "Well, this guy went from major to minor only a little while ago. About 700 years ago I think. Before that he had an impressive following, but when Lu came along the light and shadow fought and the other guy ran away with his tail between his legs, losing most if not all of his followers."

Don wondered what made them stop moving around...

-

Hob the thief, a member of the guild Silent Swords knelt before a young man sitting in a chair. The thief could feel the man's black eyes go over him.

In a dark voice, he said, "Why is the dragon egg not yet in my possession?"

Hob said, "My lord, the group in possession's movement pattern is unpredictable. We send teams all over the kingdoms to force my lord's egg out of their possession, but by chance only the weaker groups have found them and failed to retrieve it. Not a single one of your powerful servants has come across them, otherwise you would already have it."

Hob took in a deep, shaking breathe. This guy always scared the crap out of him, but Hob was still one of the only people able to stand in his presence without screaming in terror. The man in the chair was no man, it was a dark thing that possessed a man's body. Now it sought out a new body, the unborn body of a dragon. Without life, it had no will, and without will, it could not resist possession. His guild was given an 'A' Rank quest to work for this man and get him the most powerful body, and in return, when he was reborn as a shadow dragon, he would lead the Silent Swords to rule over all of Versailles.

However even though his guild had many members over level 300 and the target's party's highest member was the level 285 paladin, they had somehow never encountered a group they couldn't defeat. And even the few times a strong group happened to come across them, they were defeated and mixed reports were received about odd abilities that were never consistent with previous reports. Hob knew from experience that the elf could make artifacts so that would explain the degrees of variation between reports. Different toys, different tricks.

The black eyed man said, "Your guild's excuses have gone on long enough. They head for Tridian. I will meet them there. Ensure that their luck has met its end."

The man got up, but when Hob looked up at him, he was already gone.

The client had told the guild to set up a base in the temple ruins of Tridian and the black man himself assisted in its renovations. It was a dungeon but the mobs within didn't harm the guild members and if what the dark man said was true, it would be the perfect place to capture the target and obtain the dragon egg. Hob himself could get there in a day, and once there he could make preparations to counter the elf's toys.

Hob opened his guild chat and sent a message to every member of the Silent Swords.

-This is Vice Captain Hob, all members are to immediately report to the Tridian base. Occupy the nearby town and fill the base to capacity, we are expecting guests, and they won't be walking away.

By occupying the nearby town, even if the group killed the target and he didn't drop the egg, they could basically assign their strongest level 300+ members to camp the spawning ground and kill them over and over again until they dropped the egg or hit level 1. As long as the group went to the town first then went to Tridian, they were as good as doomed.

-

Don, Rose, and Tolan arrived in the town closest to the temple a week after setting out. After acquiring some information about the recent increase in activity there and resupplying their inventory with food and medicine they set off for the temple. The name of the temple they learned, was Tridian.

As had become a habit since getting his cloak of shadows, Don parted with the others and went to scout the temple while hiding in the shadows of the nearby trees. Although the sun was still high, beneath the tree the shadow darkened to encompass him. Beneath it he could not be seen unless you were looking for him.

Don saw that around the temple were many people equipped for battle. Some warriors, many thieves, and more than a few spell casters. There was obviously way too many to confront head on, so he checked out their numbers and took a guess at their levels and left to go back to Tolan and Rose.

On his way he heard the sound of lightning and explosions, spells were being cast. Don rushed forward to see that Rose and Tolan were fighting four warriors while three spell casters were targeting them with magic. Even with a healer and a tower shield, those were impossible odds, but Don noticed that like most of the people in front of the temple, these were high leveled people. Soon more would come and they would be surrounded.

Don ran towards the battle. He concentrated his eyes on instinct and saw the mana emitting from the bodies of the spellcasters, inner mana flowing out, forming and shaping itself into a spell. Of course he had no idea what spell, but he could tell from the amount of mana that it was not a simple one. The spell went through and six large fireballs shot forth from the mage's staff. Don ran to a side but they changed trajectory, they were seekers.

'So you wanna play it that way?' He thought. He stopped running and started his fiery dance. As the balls hit him he slashed the balls with his flaming swords. However Don could see it had not worked how he wanted. The mana on his swords didn't catch the fire and strengthen themselves, as he hoped, Instead it interfered with the spell and caused premature ignition of the spell's explosive property. Six explosions were set off in a chain around Don, four of which were close enough to deal serious damage.

You have lost 1321 life.  
You have lost 1253 life.  
You have lost 1465 life.  
You have lost 2132 life.  
You are on fire, you will continually take damage.  
You have been burned, your attack has been reduced.

Don felt the pain and saw the messages, but all he could think was, 'How stupid, burns don't bleed, so the ring isn't giving me a buff!'

His health, over 10,000 was more than half gone in a single attack, but he wasn't dead yet. He heard laughing through the smoke, likely from a guy who thought slicing a spell was a stupid idea. Don charged with all his might and said, "Divine Blade."

Don charged into the center of the group and said, "Heads!" Before started his Dance of Scattering light.

The signal, 'Heads,' was caught by Tolan and Rose to close their eyes before he started this dance. The sun reflected off his blades glowing with divine energy and was reflected through his dance into his opponent's eyes. Combining divine blade with Dance of scattering light left the affected completely blind for half a minute.

After the men and woman yelled from being blinded by the sunlight the trio ran for it. Sure they could have killed a few while they were incapacitated, but reinforcement were on their way.

Don was still on fire when they made it to the tree line so he had to take off his cloak and hold it tight to himself to smother the flames. Don looked up to see the badly beaten pair and asked, "So, how was your day?"

At first they looked like they would smack him, but after seeing how badly burnt he was, they relented and said, "Group of scouts came out of the trees. Two minutes later another group came. They were strong."

Don nodded at the assessment and said, "The temple is no better, dozens, of people on patrol, all as strong as those guys. Retreat?"

Rose shook her head, "No, the second group came up from behind, there could be groups all over here. No safe place to retreat."

Tolan told Rose, "We need to call for back up."

Rose nodded, she knelt down and put her hands together. This was how she spoke with Lu. A minute later, she made a worried face, then a few moments after that, opened her eyes and said, "The church will send all the help it can, but this place is really out of the way. It will take two days for mounted paladins to arrive."

Tolan said, "So we just log out and come back in two days, after they get here."

Rose sighed and said, "You dummy, this is occupied enemy territory. Logging out while we are being searched for has restrictions. Our bodies will be left here, asleep, they can be killed and our items taken."

Tolan sighed remembering that unfortunate rule. It would be different if they found an unoccupied cave or spot where others wouldn't search for them, but the Royal Road had rules that prevented the hunted from simply 'logging out,' to avoid being captured.

Don said, "So, we look for a safe place to hide, then log out and return after this place has been wiped off the map."

Everyone seemed to agree with the plan.

Scouting parties were all over the area, if Don and the rest hadn't equipped shoes that muffled sound, (looted form a group of defeated thieves,) they likely would've been caught already.

From the other side of a line of trees, the group heard a pair of scouts talking.

"All this for one puny elf and some church-ees,. I could take the lot of them myself. Been dying to try this axe I got off a some bloke, he didn't need it any more." After that he started laughing like he had just told the funniest joke in the world.

The shorter man next to him said, "It's not the elf we want, it's the egg he has. Once given to the client, our guild we rule all of Versailles." Now the other one started laughing, and they both laughed together.

Don took the distracting noise as an opportunity and quietly said, "Scan."

Dilven  
Title-Slayer of Woljack  
Warrior Level 319

It seemed the man was not just a braggart. At that level he could kill Don and Rose in one or two clean hits and then take his time with Tolan.

When they passed, Tolan asked, "Now what was that? These guys are the same and the guys who've been attacking us. What is it that you have that could make Versailles fall into their hands?"

Rose answered for Don. "A dragon egg."

Don was not surprised she knew, Lu likely told her. Tolan however almost burst, "A Dragon Egg?! You've had a dragon egg all this time?! And when I asked you what they could've wanted, You Said You didn't Know!"

Don simply said, "I didn't know they knew I had it. The only being I've told in this continent is Lu."

Rose said, "Lu can sense that dragon, I guess this client can too."

Don came to the sudden horrible realization, "The shadow god stopped moving around to lure me here. He's the client, he wants my dragon!"

Rose gave Don a pitying look, before saying, "Come on, we have to keep looking for a safe spot."

The group made their way to the side of the temple, but when Don and Rose turned, they saw that Tolan was gone. A moment later he reappeared through the wall.

"Secret passage in the shadow of the shadow temple. Who knew?"

Although it was the base of the enemy, they all agreed they were more likely to find safety inside than out. The group entered the shadow and found themselves in a corridor filled with large statues. Upon entering, the statues all turned their heads to face them.

Don quietly said, "Scan."

Stone Guardians  
level 300  
Health 136000

Don said, "Run!"

The group sprinted down the hall as more statues seemed to come alive, the statues filled every single hallway. They ran into a room where three men were eating. The men drew their weapons and the guardians came through the door.

One of them men said, "Trespassing on sacred ground calls forth divine punishment, Hahahah."

It looked like the guardians didn't care about the guild occupants. Don concentrated and saw a thin line of mana that went from the guardians to a small pin on the uniforms of the two people. Don figured, 'nothing to lose,' and ran charging at the one of the two. The man easily dodged and kicked Don across the room.

A guardian statue walked up to the guy who looked at it with amusement and said, "What do you want?"

The statue punched down on the guy's head, his form creaking into pixels from the force of the blow, dying. The other two looked too shocked for words. Don head up the pin he ripped off the other's shirt to Rose and Tolan and said, "Get theirs."

The statues turned back to Rose and Tolan who ran past them to the remaining two guys. They realized what had happened and backed away to protect their pins.

Don ran around them while their attention was on the other two and pulled a pin off one of them. He threw it to Rose who blocked Tolan from one of the guardians who now couldn't go around her. Two other guardians were now going after the pinless man, he panicked and reached for the pin of the guys next to him. They started fighting and the guardian started attacking. One eventually got the pin, but Don sliced through him with his swords without trouble and gave the last pin to Tolan. The guardians, seeing there were no enemies in the room, left to return to their pedestals.

Rose said, "Oh my god, this is too much. It is just one thing after another here."

She was physically and mentally exhausted, as were the rest of them.

Tolan took a few more breaths before saying, "Don, how did you know about the pins?"

Don didn't think telling them he could see the flow of mana was a good thing, so he just said, "Instinct. I make stuff like this too you know."

It was a lie, the pins weren't artifacts, he could tell, but it was better than nothing.

Rose said, "Don, take out the dragon egg."

"What? Why?" He asked.

She took in a deep breath and said, "So we can destroy it. Something so powerful cannot fall into the hands of this shadow god."

Don froze. He had not expected this. He couldn't think of anything, but out of his mouth came the word, "No."

Tolan looked between the two wondering which side to take.

Rose answered this question by saying, "We've lost, there is no sanctuary here. We will be caught and there is nothing we can do to stop it. Lu ordered me, "If worse comes to worse and there is no chance of escape, destroy the egg before they can take it."

Tolan turned from Rose to Don and turned to face him, standing next to Rose. He had taken a side.

Now Don was really at a loss for words, and saying 'No,' again wouldn't cut it this time.

Rose continued, "I know this isn't what you wanted, you've worked so hard for all of this. Look ,it isn't all bad. Once the last three gods are killed, Lu will reward you for your sacrifice. Lu told me that with your current divine affinity you'll be able to learn great skills and spells that grant you the powers of the gods. Tolan and I both know a few and can show you later. Just take out the egg and we can end this."

Don could hear the feeling in her voice, it was like telling a kid that his pet was sick and had to be put down. A part of Don wanted to scream, or rage, but that was not a manly thing to do, especially in front of a lady. But that didn't mean he had to give up so easily. If he couldn't win, then he would go down fighting, that was how to fight like a man.

Don calmly said, "For a priest you're pretty faithless." Don's ability to hide his emotions came as a surprise to Rose, she had likely expected a louder outburst.

Don continued, "Tolan isn't though. Even though I'm not a man of god, I am a man of miracles who can make anything happen."

Truth be told he was spouting nonsense, but he thought that maybe if they believed it he could make it come true.

Tolan said, "What, you gonna make an artifact that magically defeats all the people in this base?"

Rose said, "You have some way of getting our army of paladins to get here faster?"

Don thought about it without losing his look of confidence, from the outside he looked like he was stalling for dramatic effect, but he was racking his brain over every single thing he knew.

Tolan said, "Well?"

Don was still clenching the pin when it came to him, a crazy impossible idea. But if it worked...  
Don smiled like he knew the answer all along and held up the pin in his hand. He then said, "I'll build an artifact that cancels out whatever makes the wearer of these pins safe from the guardians." More ideas were coming to him as he spoke, but they sounded right, so he continued.  
"We need to gather all the guild members inside the temple. Then, if I succeed in making an artifact to do it, I can set off a pulse that will cut the link between the pins and the guardians..." He decided to let the other two complete his train of thought to make them realize what this fantasy could do.

Tolan said, "So all the guardian statues will attack and all the guild members."

Rose said, "Best case scenario they all kill each other off. But even if it doesn't we may be able to take advantage of the chaos to escape unnoticed."

Don didn't want to tell them how impossible this was. He decided to go through with the charade and take out all the spare and scrap parts from his artificing.

What he needed to do was somehow disrupt the mana flow that was coming out of the pins and going into the statues. But there were no sygs, his mana sight only saw a small thread of mana that extended out from them. He tried a couple things to cut it but it was like trying to cut through a river. No matter what what you do, you can't stop the flow. Even blocking it would only cause it to be redirected. By that logic he had to make the pins stop emitting mana. However without understanding them, he couldn't think of a way to do that. He decided that maybe he could intercept the mana. Instead of cutting the connection and stopping the flow, dig a ditch and redirect it. If all the little mana strings went to something he made, they wouldn't go to the guardians, and maybe that would prevent them from working.

Don started working on a mana draining field reactor. It would draw all mana in range to it, but the range was not very far. That and he didn't really have the necessary parts for it. He would have to use sub par materials for many of the major components as well as somehow extend its range and make it last long enough for the guardians to defeat the guild.

Don started inscribing sygs into glass pieces, he should use crystal, but didn't have enough. He could see the low efficiency of the sygs working on the glass. It was no good and he knew it, but he couldn't let the other two know that. So he decided to go big or go home. He restarted but used larger pieces. He hoped to overcome the lack of efficiency with larger sygs. Size usually doesn't matter for symbols but it was a way to boost efficiency in the case of inefficiency.

Rose and Tolan sat by the barred door and watched Don work. For three painstaking hours. Each had tried to log out at one point or another but each received a warning message stating that their body would remain were they last were and vulnerable until they log back in.

Don wasn't exactly hopeful, but he was making something of a progress on the mana draining field. A true mana draining field is so powerful that magic costs 3x the normal cost to cast within, but Don just needed this to be strong enough to attract the thin stream of mana coming off the pins, and by switching area affected for mana density taken, Don thought he might be able to actually do this.

Suddenly a loud knocking came on the door. "Hey! Who's in there? Open up!"

Tolan looked to Don and said, "How much more time do you need?"

Don decided to round down, by a lot and said, "Seven more minutes."

Tolan looked around and said, "Are you absolutely certain that this will work?!"

Don had come this far, it was possible it actually could, but the chances of that were slim to none. His answer however wasm, "Yes."

Tolan said, "Then hide the device, you'll be able to finish later. Rose and I will cause a distraction, that's when you run for it."

Rose looked at Tolan questioningly and he just gave her a solemn look and a firm nod.

Rose nodded back and put her hands together. Don noticed a sudden change in her mana flow, small but there.

People begun banging on the door with their weapons, Don hid the device and drew his swords.

The door exploded and six large men came in. They looked around and saw the bodies of the three dead ones. One of them said, "Guess you were right, there were hidin in the temple."

A short man came from behind on of the taller ones and said, "You three will either come with me quietly, or your arms and legs will be broken and your crippled bodies will come with me. If you agree, hand over your weapons. Now."

Tolan nodded to the other two and turned over his sword. The man said, "That tower shield is a weapon in your hands, Give it up as well."

Rose didn't have her mace out as still had her hands together, Don didn't want to draw attention to this so he handed over his swords. The man looked at Don's face and back at his moonlight swords. He said, "You have caused me no end of trouble."

He then passed the sword to the men who proceeded to bash them as hard as they could until they snapped with an explosive glow. Don cringed his teeth together.

The man noticed this and smiled. He told him, "That was for the loss of my lockpick set."

Don realized this was likely the man who fell for his trap. Don never really considered it but it seemed he had made some enemies.

The short thief lead the trio down a few halls and to a great hall where a man with black eyes sat on a stone throne.

The group knelt before him, the entire hall of people, dozens and dozens of them knelt. He looked at Don and Don felt it. He felt something else too, another side effect of divine affinity, the presence of a god. Don noticed the mana around Rose was shifting, so he decided to distract from it.

He took a step towards the shadow god and said, "So you're the big bad wannabe kidnapper. You ain't taking my dragon."

He raised an eyebrow and pointed a finger and Rose. At first Don thought he noticed something about her, but the next moment the spearman next to her pierced her shoulder through before retracting his spear. Rose shrieked in pain but kept her hands together.

The shadow man said, "Each time you speak without my permission, I will cause pain to her. Do you understand."

Don gritted his teeth and nodded once.

"Good. Now you have something that belongs to me. Take out the dragon egg and hand it over. Now."

Don said, "It isn't yours!"

He heard another shriek from Rose, he almost didn't want to look, but he couldn't ignore it. He turned to see that her other shoulder had been pierced, her hands remained together.

The shadow man said, "There aren't that many places a person can be stabbed and still live. If you would like to find out exactly how many there are, please continue."

Don could only give his fiercest glare.

"I thought not. Now, because I'm generous, I won't let her spilt blood go to waste. You said it is yours, but that is not true. The egg belongs to the one who can use it the best. Now, who does that describe? You, mere mortal? Or me, a god? I shall possess the egg just as I possess this body. When it hatches, I will fuse with it completely. I shall be both a dragon, and a god of shadow. I shall be the most powerful living god on this world, and all will bow down before me."

From behind him, Don heard Rose say, "I don't think so! Great God of Light, I offer my life in exchange for your strength to be bestowed upon one who walks the path of light, Holy Blessing!"

Rose's body exuded a powerful light that made the shadow god cry out in pain. A moment later she was on the ground, dead, and beside her, in glowing battle armor unlike what he was wearing before, was Tolan.

Before anyone could start attacking him, Tolan said, "Great god of light, I offer my spirit in exchange for a chance to shine your power on the darkness, Battle Blessing!"

Tolan started shining, just like Rose had beneath his armor. A moment later his skin was glowing gold, and in his hand was a golden spear of light. Tolan used it to slash at the man next to him. The man disappeared like he was erased from existence. Tolan turned to Don and said, "Now!"

Tolan killed the remaining five guards who were next to them and Don ran for the door. Tolan went to attack the mob of over a hundred people with a power greater than anything he Don had ever seen before.

Don ran and ran, he remembered the way back and was quickly through the door. He stacked tables against the broken door frame and without even picking up the pieces of his moonlight swords he got out the device. He carved a few more sygs inside and adjusted the parts. Mana wasn't moving around it, but that didn't mean it wasn't working. Or so he hoped. Maybe if Don finished fast enough, Tolan could be saved. He was powerful, but outnumbered a hundred fifty to one. A few minutes went by and no one appeared through the door, but it felt like years to Don who couldn't even spare a second to look up.

Don finally finished the device and fliped the switch to activate it, but nothing happened. He tried again, but nothing.

"I don't know what you have there elf, but you're wasting your time."

Don instinctively looked at the door, but the barricade was still there, the voice had come from above.

Don looked up to see the man from before, the thief. He was staring down from a porthole in the roof, likely watching the whole time.

He said to Don, "I was quite embarrassed by falling for that trick of yours with the chest, so I hired an artificer myself to build something that would well, prevent those gadgets from working in this temple." He smiled, knowing that the other's sacrifices and all of Don's efforts had been completely in vain.

Don couldn't believe it. But the sygs didn't make the mana react. Don took the knife of a dead man that was next to him and cut himself to activate the blood empower effect of his ring. No buff occurred. So it wasn't that burns didn't activate the ring, none of his artifacts could be activated here.

Don realized as the thief had known that mean that everything was for nothing. And just to pour salt on the wound, the thief said, "That paladin has probably killed a lot of my mates, but he's likely dead now. The skill he used was just like the girl's but without the instant death. Three to five minutes is all you get to rampage. Although them stacking that together was a sight to see, but it was all pointless in the end."

Don thought aloud, "If Tolan had three minutes in a room with your boss, then your boss is dead now."

The thief said, "That so? Let's go find out." He placed the roof panel back closing the porthole, it seemed he wanted to come in through the entrance. Don took the time to gather the shards of the moonlight swords. Not that they could be used at all.

The thief showed up a minute later with more large men who pushed the pile Don stacked in the doorway aside like it was made of cotton.

They lead Don back non-resisting to the great hall. Tolan's body was so covered in blood and weapons it was hard to recognize. And to Don's disappointment, he wasn't able to kill more than thirty or forty men.

A black eyed man sat on the stone chair, but he looked different. The thief said, "Our boss is immortal as long as their is a willing occupant, and every man in this guild agreed to that in exchange for what he has promised." Hob was actually lying, less than a tenth of the guild were actual followers of the client, the rest elected to convert after the client possessed the Dragon. But that would be very soon nonetheless so it didn't matter.

The shadow god said, "Now give me the egg."

Don shouted angrily, "Or What?!"

The god casually said, "How many loyal men are in the nearest town?"

At first Don though the question was to him, but the thief answered, "About thirty sir. Our guild has secretly acquired absolute authority there through bribes and intimidation. The guards won't bother any guild member there, no mater how many people they kill, or how often they kill them."

Don felt a shiver of true fear, something that the black eyed man did not fail to notice.

The god said, "When those two return, they will be ambushed and killed. And when they return again, they will be ambushed and killed. Life and death, over and over again."

Don gritted his teeth in hatred and said, "And you'll do this if I don't give you the egg?..."

The shadow god said, "No, you three have cost me my last bit of patience. No matter what you do, I will ensure they remain dead. For the rest of eternity, they will never see past the city gates, and each time they return, they shall die and die." He started laughing and the others started laughing.

Don's anger grew and grew, he could see nothing but red. He wanted nothing more in this world than to kill the man in front of him, but another part of him knew it was pointless. Don imagined that Tolan had likely thought the same and had even successfully killed the god, but it was no good. He had to kill the god, but the god basically had too many lives and Don alone had one. The logical part of his mind that told him he could not kill the god and the pure hatred that told him he must kill him clashed together inside his head until Don swore he felt something snap.

The shadow god said, "If you hand over the dragon egg, and beg for mercy, I might spare them. But you shall never be allowed to return. I will ensure either they remain banished forever, or you. If you choose yourself, then hand over the dragon egg now.

Don wondered if he had just lost it. The roaring anger inside him was a quiet, his thoughts were fluid and he could think clearly, more clear than he had been since the first ambush. The answer was obvious.

Don opened up his inventory screen. Those who saw him smiled, he had made the fools choice and chose his friends over the world and himself. But what Don took out from his inventory, was a small glass sphere.

Don calmly said, "God of shadows. Goodbye." Before throwing the sphere into the air to crash in the middle of the room.

A roar sounded that shattered the calm in the room. An enormous monster ten meters tall and twenty meters long that looked like a cross between an armadillo and a dragon with demon horns on its head appeared in the center of the main hall. The armored, behemoth, a boss class level 400 monster that Don once encountered an by some miracle obtained within a sealed glass sphere.

The behemoth stomped its feet so hard the stone floor cracked. People were shouting for either attack or retreat. Don looked around and realized no one was looking at him anymore. He walked over to a wall and sat down. He still wondered if he had just gone crazy. The last time he saw this guy, it was so bad that from then on he shuddered every time he thought about it. But because of that little trauma, he never really considered that letting it out would solve all his problems. Now he sat and enjoyed the show.

The tail of the behemoth had a mace like end that turned anyone unlucky enough to get in its way to a stain on the floor. The behemoth also used its tail to side smack to floor to break off gravel and such that was sent wherever like a shotgun blast.

One of the pancaked people had a nice sword. Don figured since his were broken, he should get some new ones.

He walked over to one sword he saw and used Identify on it, but overall it was not that great. Don looked around through the chaos again. It seemed that the behemoth had smashed himself against some walls and the passages out had collapsed, trapping everyone in there. "Not my problem," said Don. He looked around for more swords.

He then saw an interesting one on the ground. It was far away from anyone so its owner was likely a splat somewhere and the sword bounced off. Don casually ducked the behemoth's tail and moved on to pick up the blade. It was shorter than a normal sword, a full meter long, and even lacked a hilt, but it looked like it might be easy to use while dancing. The bottom of the sword had a small hook like part that looked like it could catch and break swords.

"Identify."

Talon of Erri  
Durability 71/110  
Attack 101  
Made by the blacksmith Erri who never makes the same blade twice, this design was inspired by a griffon's claw.

Restrictions:  
level 230  
Strength 500

Equips:  
+20 Strength  
+5 Critical chance

It was just below Don's level, but it felt better in his off hand than his main. He looked around and saw another nice sword, but this one was being held by a guy who was leading a charge on the behemoth.

Don walked up to him and said, "Hey, would you trade for that sword?"

The man turned around and saw that the fool asking the stupid question was the guy who released this monster. He was about to do something when the behemoth started snapping left and right trying to gobble people up. He simply yelled at Don, "Are you frikken Crazy?!"

'Apparently. And I still want that sword.' he thought to himself.

Don cut the man's legs from behind, crippling him. He then said, "I'll trade you some useful rings and your life for that sword."

The calm look in Don's beautiful eyes scared the man more that the shadow god did. He said, "Ok, ok, it's yours."

Don took the sword, handed the man two of his blood rings, and dragged him to a wall. He was happy the man agreed. You can't simply take a sword from a man's hand in combat, and killing someone yields a low chance they'll drop their weapon, so trade is best for getting an item from another player. Don was tempted to kill the man for experience, but decided not to. He equipped the second sword to his main hand. A normal length one but it had an 'S' shaped curve that made it interesting.

As Don was admiring his new swords, the behemoth's charge happened to cross Don's path. It stopped for a moment and looked it him, Don guessed from the look it had just recognized him.

Don still didn't feel scared but he wondered what to do. While it was occupied with him, the surviving guild members were resting by the walls. Don decided that the best course of action was to make the behemoth more dangerous thus more likely to kill more people. And the best way to do so, was by pissing it off.

Don ran right up to it and it reared its head back. Just as it moved forward to bite off Don's upper body, he slid beneath the stomach and slashed a few times before rolling away.

The behemoth smashed it's body down as Don rolled but he cleared it and ran back to a side to hide. Smashing it stomach against the floor after it was slashed caused the foolish behemoth great pain and it started rampaging worse than ever.

Don looked around and said, "Ok, got two nice swords, what next?"

Don felt the presence of the shadow god. He had not made it out before the hallways collapsed. Don found him behind a chair. He looked angrily at Don and moved to strike him, but it seemed that either the god himself or the body was too weak. 'Maybe too many of its followers had died,' he thought. Don easily overpowered him and drove his sword into the god. On impulse Don said, "Divine blade," just as a shadow shot out from the body. Don then swung his sword saying, "Moonlight slash."

A white slash flew from the sword and cut the shadow. It slowed down a bit and Don ran up to stab the shadow and slice it a few more times with moonlight slash. Don figured that the shadow was the true body of the god that possessed others. Tolan may have been able to kill it with his spear of light, but when he tried there were probably too many people. Don had no problem because even as he attacked the guy, everyone else was paying him no mind.

Only light could attack a shadow, but without his moonlight blades or a full moon, moonlight slash deals no light based damage. However divine blade adds and enhances all attacking properties, so that combo created a slash of pure divine light that cut through the shadow like tissue. Eventually the shadow dissolved before it could possess another body.

Quest Update: Slay the Gods  
Lu, the god of Light has requested that you kill the lower gods that have encroached upon his territory. Accept and he will offer assistance.  
Progress 17/19

Don wasn't even receiving levels for killing gods now-a-days

He picked up the essence that the shadow left behind.

You have obtained the spirit of Shadow!  
Intelligence increased by 20 (+20 INT)  
Wisdom Increased by 10 (+10 WIS)  
Concentration increased by 10 (+10 CON)  
Your divine affinity has increased

Don decided that behind the chair was a good hiding place. He waited there for a few minutes while the behemoth tore through everyone. Instead of being defeated, the behemoth killed or crippled everyone, and eventually started clawing at the wall till it broke through the rock and started digging its way to the surface. A few minutes after Don stopped hearing noise from the tunnel, he got up and looked around. There were still a few injured men left. Don walked up to one of them, the thief from before.

The thief looked up at Don who was in good condition while the thief's own was in bad. He said, "I got a message saying the client is dead, guess he didn't escape like we thought he had. What now?"

Don looked at him like he didn't quite understand the question, then after thinking on it simple cut the man's head off. After that he finished off all the remaining members. Some still had some fight left in them, but they were not in the best condition, and even four on one, Don killed them all. Since he was also dead broke, Don looted every single body there.

Don logged out of Royal Road and felt a sudden rush of adrenaline, excitement, fear, and shock, each in equal measure. The next thing he felt was relief, he had not gone crazy, at least not outside royal road. Inside he traveled for a day until he made it to a to town that was out of reach of the remaining members of the guild and logged out without trouble. It had been an unusual and long day. Later he would have to return to speak with the paladins about what happened there. He hoped the armored behemoth would behave as he passed through three different kingdoms on his way back to his home of the desert.

Don laid on his bed thinking of everything and was asleep before he noticed it. 


	19. Vol2 Ch9 Whatever happened to Carl?

Fan Requested side story  
ch9 Whatever happened to Carl  
Carl gazed longingly into the night sky. The stars were the same as the ones above his home, but land was different. It felt wrong, he knew he should not be here, the same way he knew how to fight and how to survive, instinct.

Suddenly he caught a strange smell. Carl's sense of smell was so sharp he could smell a block of limestone from five kilometers away. This smell was no stone though, or mineral he could think of. This was the smell of steel and hide. The smell of men, the smell of prey.

The wind was blowing south down the valley, the same direction he was moving, which meant they were coming from behind. Was this a coincidence, or were they tracking him. Carl himself was an excellent tracker, he once stalked a desert wyrm for two and a half months before cornering it and killing it. He still remembered the delicious taste of its meat. He decided if these were trackers, they were poor ones. A tracker does not alert the prey of its presence and is mindful of the direction of the wind.

Not that it really mattered. Carl would kill them regardless. He sniffed around until he found a patch of earth with a loose composition and used the massive claws on his arms to dig through it until the hole was large enough for him to enter. Using the mace like tip of his tail he collapsed the path behind him and he dug forward until he was beneath the common path most two legged beings walked on.

There he waited. Through the vibrations in the ground he felt their location as they came closer. It took half an hour before they reached him. Besides the sound of many footsteps, there was also several things that seemed to lightly grind over the ground. Before ending up in this land Carl had never heard such a thing, but he knew know from experience it was a wooden plate with four round pieces at each end that spun as it moved, grinding the ground beneath them as they went.

The first time he encountered the sound, it had also been accompanied by horses, and to Carl's delight, he indeed heard no less than a dozen horses. This was a large group and soon his belly would be filled.

Of course he knew he would attack them even if he was already full. Fighting made him stronger, so he sought out battle at all times. His own hide was large and tougher than the hardest desert stone, his horns and claws stronger than any metal, and his teeth, sharp and numerous enough to chew through bone, rock, and steel without chipping. He was an Armored Behemoth, a resident of the desolate wastelands were the weak wither and the strong thrive.

The trading caravan moved steadily down the green valley towards Yoldin, a great city built in a land of prosperity. However they moved cautiously. Several days prior they heard a rumor of some never before seen monster that randomly attacked anything it came across. The leader of the caravan, Twell, did not take much stock in rumors but against his better judgment relented to the wishes of his men and hired a score of mercenaries to escort the caravan to Yoldin.

Twell himself was an adventurer in his prime, he traveled the world seeking treasure, and by luck many years ago found some. He invested it and, using his knowledge of trade routes and the travel he gained through adventuring, became a successful merchant and trader.

Twell looked around him at the mercenaries he'd hired. Most Twell was confident he could take on himself, he still kept his axe sharp after all these years, but these were still the best he could find on such short notice and were there mostly to keep his employees from panicking.

Suddenly the horses that pulled the wagons started going wild. Twell called out to his men, "Get those horses calmed down!"

One of his men said, "Something's got them spooked sir."

The mercenaries pulled out their weapons, Twell realized as they did that the horses might've caught a scent they didn't like. Twell took his axe out and scanned the area. It was dark and cloudless, the moon was only a thin sliver in the night and the light from the torches attached to the wagons didn't go very far. Twell became acutely aware of the fact that around the dome of the illuminated caravan, was a black void that extended endlessly.

The ground shook and men screamed. From behind the veil of darkness nothing could be seen. But from the ground beneath the front most wagon erupted a monster unlike anything Twell had ever seen, and it filled him with a terror stronger than he had ever felt in his younger years.

One of the mercenaries yelled, "It's a field Boss!" Twell knew that field bosses were boss class monsters that roamed their own territory outside the confines of a dungeon, but he also knew that the green valley had no field bosses. Nevertheless this beast still seemed to be one, had it moved or been moved somehow? If so then it could be nothing but the worst of luck to encounter it.

Another mercenary yelled, "Surround it!"

The dancing shadows of the torchlight as lines of men passed in front of them did little to illuminate the beast's visage, but three men came up to it each carrying a torch and showed for the first time it could be clearly seen.

The only thing that came close to it in Twell's memory was a picture he had once seen of a behemoth, one of the largest class of beast type monster that wandered through the desolate plains. But although the horns and spikes on its head and back matched up with the image, the behemoth he saw in the book had no armored hide, this was something else.

The beast reared up and slammed itself down, sending a shock wave that threw to their backs everyone close to the beast. The ripple of earth the shock wave emitted passed weakly beneath Twell who steadied himself before it hit. A moment later Twell saw the monster's head picking something up, Twell didn't recognize the voice of the screaming man, but from the lower half that squirmed in the its mouth, he saw leather pants that most of the mercenaries were wearing. With a crunch the legs fell from the monster's mouth and it swiped its forearm through the crowd. Three men were flung into the air, each hit the ground with their own distinctive sound. A soft thump with the crunch of bones shattering from the ranger, a loud thud with a metallic TING* from the armored knight, and light thud and the sound of change in your pocket when the chain-mail wearing swordsmen landed. None of them got back up.

Thunder and fire exploded around the behemoth. Some of the mercenaries were mages and they had just started their assault. However the beast did not ever flinch, instead it started charging in the direction of the spellcasters. Twell didn't even know where the mages were when they cast their spells, but somehow the behemoth did, and after its charge there were no more spells.

As the first light of the sun rose over the distant peaks, a scene of destruction and carnage could be found in the green valley. At least twenty bodies could be found with not a single survivor. Carl left the wreckage with a full belly and little satisfaction. It had been too easy as they often were in these lands, and the taste was not to his liking. Carl had not even bothered to take down the fleeing ones.

A few hours later, Carl felt another presence on the road. There was no smell because it approached him from downwind but Carl could feel a strong fighting spirit. At first Carl was thrilled, finally a prey worth hunting had come. However soon his anticipation turned to something else. Carl had never felt this before, so he did not understand it. But the feeling went against his desire for battle, it slowly erased and replaced it as the presence got closer. The feeling to run away from this battle, the feeling that this presence cannot be thought of as prey.

Carl looked down the road, it was already within view, it had gotten too close without Carl even noticing. Carl struggled not back away but there was nothing else he could do. He could not move forward even one step, and even though every nerve told him to escape, he would not listen. If this was his last moment alive, he would look this being in the eye before he was killed.

The form that approached him, the one that was emitting such a powerful presence, was a man, the common species in these lands. However this one looked different. Its skin was wavy like the sands of the deep desert, its hair white as teeth, and it supported its weight on a wooden stick. It moved slow, and to an ordinary observer it would appear weak and fragile, but Carl trusted his instincts with his life, and believed what he felt over what he saw.

The old man casually walked up to Carl, a bit quicker than a man using a cane should be walking, but unless you closely examined his stride you'd never notice. He looked up at him with his ancient eyes and spoke.

"You're a long way from home." Carl did not understand words of the common tongue, but somehow he understood exactly what this man said.

Carl looked southeast, to the desert he wished to return to. The old man noticed this and turned to face in the southwest direction.

"Oh, I see, you wish to return home yourself. Well, I can help with that."

Carl understood the words, but he could not comprehend the intent. Help how? At the rate he was going the moon would cycle twice before he returned to his desert. He had already noticed that although the presence was powerful and dangerous it lacked killing intent so the man may not kill him, but he still didn't know how he could help.

The man said, "Your kind has strong resistance to magic, but I can get around that, give me a moment."

The man started speaking a strange language as magic surrounded Carl. After about ten seconds of incantations Carl was surrounded in a powerful white light. The last time he was enveloped in light, he later found himself underground surrounded by men. This time when the light died down, the old man was gone, and Carl was now surrounded by rock and sand.

He looked up into the sky to see that the sun had moved, but it was still the same time it had been before. The old man had moved him instantaneously with magic. Carl did not understand why he had done it, but he was grateful to the old man. Carl took in a deep breath. Far to the south he could smell a pack of Tyrant Lizards. It was time for another hunt.

The old man took in a deep breath. Using a teleportation spell on one of the behemoth race was tricky, but he always had a soft spot for behemoths of any type so he felt good about it.

It was times like this that he glad he walked to his destinations rather than teleport or fly. Chance encounters were rare, but you'd never get them at all if you completely avoided the roads. Of course he himself was also a rare chance encounter for anyone to come across if they knew what they found. But other than the keen senses of a behemoth, few if any in these lands would see him for more than an old man.

After taking the small breather the old man continued west. He was meeting some old friends of his who he hadn't seen in some time. The time of the meeting was decided over a year ago and he still had another month to get there.

His only hope for the meeting was that his old friends would be civil and careful. No, he hoped that anyone who encountered his old friends would be careful, for they were not as kind as he was. 


	20. Vol2 Ch10 The Coming of the Dragon

Vol2 Chapter 10  
Coming of the Dragon

Don's exhausted form was barely standing. His foe this time was a veteran of combat, a literal goddess of war. She seemed nice enough at first, but apparently her followers would do all they could to ignite wars between any faction who even disliked one another. In the last century alone more than a dozen wars could be attributed to her cause.

Her weapon skills were not the flawless perfection of the god of the sword, but she wore battle armor and knew how to fight strategically. Even with three on one she was holding her ground against Don, Rose, and Tolan's combined might.

Behind her golden battle mask spoke the words, "You have done well fighters of Lu, but if this is all you have..."

Don knew that Rose was almost out of mana for healing spells, he said to her, "Use whatever you got left to heal Tolan, don't heal me anymore."

She looked at him like he had said something she couldn't believe. She answered with, "What?! Don't tell me you're gonna do that?!"

Don smiled at her and took several rings from his pockets to put on. Afterwards he charged the goddess as fast as he could. His twin blades against her time tested battle instinct. However her own sword skill allowed her to give more hits than she took. Taking her experience into account, she had already calculated how much life she would lose throughout the length of the battle to defeat every person here. She had judged their abilities and even their potential to grow through the battle and even if they reached maximum fighting efficiency, she could still defeat them. That is what it meant to fight against the goddess of war.

However after Don was dealt another blow, his comeback strike was so powerful it knocked the sword from her hands when she tried to parry it. She hadn't accounted for the possibility of equipment that made one stronger as the wearer lost life like Don's rings.

The other two saw the opportunity and, before she could retrieve her weapon, they surrounded and cut her down.

After a few moments she died, dropping her essence, an opal, and her golden mask.

Quest Update: Slay the Gods  
_Lu, the god of Light has requested that you kill the lower gods that have encroached upon his territory. Accept and he will offer assistance._  
_Progress 19/19_  
_Return to Lu for your reward_

Done looked down on the goddess's essence and let out a deep sigh, "It's over," before bending down to pick up the glowing orb.

_You have obtained the spirit of War!_  
_Strength increased by 20 (+10 STR)_  
_Agility increased by 10 (+10 AGI)_  
_Intelligence increased by 10 (+10 INT)_  
_Your divine affinity has increased_

Rose knocked Don on the side of the head and said, "You idiot, I can't believe you put those rings on. How much health are you at?"

Don looked at his own health bar and read it aloud. "43 health points."

Tolan and Rose looked at him like he was a talking floating head. They knew that Don had made rings that lowered the wearer's health by 15% a piece and gave a large stat boost if the wearer had less than 20% remaining health, but Don had put on five rings, lowering his maximum health to 44% of its original size.  
(If he had 100hp and 1 ring, it would be -15% of 100, 85hp. With two rings, it -15% of 85, 72hp, and so on)

It was overly dangerous and foolhardy, in other words it was something Don considered an appropriate fighting style for himself.

Rose meditated a bit to recover her mana and heal everyone to maximum health. Don gave her the golden mask and Tolan the opal. At first they refused but Don insisted since this was their last battle together. The pair never struck Don as sentimental, but they agreed.

After leaving the temple Don went to the bank of the nearby town to make a withdrawal. Before going to the temple of War, he had left his dragon egg at the bank, since it was now larger than a beach ball and didn't fit in his inventory space. The bank manager returned to the counter with the large sack Don had left with him. Inside the sack was the egg as well as some materials that would dull the presence others could sense from the egg. Without such a precaution Don couldn't let the egg out of his sight.

Carrying a large white sack that made one think Santa was coming to town, Don and the others headed for the closest temple of Lu, where Rose lead the way within to a back room that had a small golden statue of the deity.

In the direction of the statue came a voice.

-You have done well. There is but a single matter left to deal with.

Don nodded and took out Lu's essence. The sphere of light that could be absorbed by other gods to strengthen them, the bait that Don had been carrying around since his quest began.

He opened the box and the light filled the room. Slowly it dimmed until it was gone.

Quest Complete: Slay the Gods  
_Faith has increased by 50! (+50 FAI)_  
_You have gained a Level!_  
_You have gained a Level!_  
_You have gained a Level!_  
_You have gained a Level!_

_._  
_._

Don gained eleven levels, he was now at level 243. Don opened his stat window to see how much progress he had made since starting the quest at level 131.

Status Window  
_Avatar Don Alignment Lawful_  
_Race Lunar Elf Title: Inheritor of the God of the Sword_  
_Level 243 Class Blade Dancer_  
_Fame 1610 Infamy 0_  
_Health 12130 Mana 8110_  
_Strength 642+27 Agility 565+24_  
_Wisdom 165+80 Intellect 211+50_  
_Vitality 230 Affinity to Nature 72_  
_Charisma 215 Charm 225_  
_Leadership 60 Perseverance 324_  
_Fighting Spirit 199 Endurance 171_  
_Concentration 169+30 Luck 160_  
_Insight 44 Faith 231_  
_Attack 1390 Defense 202_  
_Magic Resistances None_  
_+ Charisma stat is added extra 80 points._  
_+ Charm stat is added an extra 80 points_  
_+ Enables you to equip certain items specialized for the class._  
_+ Increases Attack Power while dual wielding swords._  
_+ Enables you to learn secret skills based on your level in Blade Dancing Mastery._

Lu spoke again.

-Don, as per our agreement, I shall make a pact with you. For you I have chosen a very special pact. It will impart unto you a unique skill.

Don remembered the sacrifice skills that Tolan and Rose used back when they were captured by the shadow god. They later told Don that those skills were some of the ones that their own pact with Lu had given them. It seemed also that the damage dealt by Tolan to the shadow god had vastly weakened it, which was the reason that it took almost no effort for Don to kill it.

Lu continued.

-Over the past year you have killed many of my enemies, however whatever you may think of me, I have many more friends among the gods than I do enemies, and it was with their help, that this skill was conceived.

From the statue, pure white light glowed and enveloped Don.

_You have been offered a pact with the god Lu, should you accept, you will gain a unique skill._  
_By accepting a pact, you will automatically become a member of the church of Lu and be subject to the church's Law._  
_Do you accept?_  
_Yes|No_

Don had wondered why he hadn't been invited to the church yet, it seemed because it would happened anyways as soon as he accepted. Don was told that this pact would give him greater Divine affinity than simply absorbing the essence of a slain god, and since Lu went through the effort of making a skill for him, he had much to gain and little to lose by accepting.

"I accept."

The light strengthened for a moment before fading away.

Ting*

_You have joined the Church of Lu._  
_Your rank has been elevated to Disciple._  
_Your faith has increased by 30 (+30 FAI)_  
_You have gained the skill: Dance of the Gods._  
_Your divine affinity has increased._

Without hesitation Don said, "Show skill window for Dance of the Gods."

_Dance of the Gods [1] 0%_  
_Invokes the power of a random god to aid you_  
_Mana cost: 3000_  
_Can only be used once per day._

Don was speechless. Not over the skill, but the mana cost. He didn't really understand how good it could be, but he hoped that it was worth the mana for it.

Lu spoke again.

-That dance is based off one that once greatly pleased the gods, but the original has been extinct for hundreds of years. It can only be used by a dancer who possesses sufficient divine affinity, and usually only draws forth the power of a single god. But there are many gods who wish to see that dance again, s the skills was re-conceived so that I may share it with others . Use it wisely.

The light died down and the trio left the room. Tolan was the first to speak up, "So what are the specifics of the skill you got?"

Don simple said, "Costs 3000 mana, invokes the power of a random god."

Tolan gave an impressed whistle. "That's pretty good. Most pact skills have a high cost, one way or another. My strongest pact skills are Battle Blessing that burns my health until I die and Spear of the Heavens, which costs 2500 mana. Which is pretty much all the mana I have."

Don knew that his own mana was far higher than it should be thanks to the bonus stats gained through divine essences so he could use the skill and still have mana to spare, but he didn't want to speak of that. So instead he said, "What does Spear of the Heavens do?"

"It calls Lu to throw his spear at what I'm targeting. It can only be used outside though, and only once per day."

"What do you mean throw his spear?" Don asked.

"I mean when I use it, a beam of light comes from the sky and strikes what I'm targeting from above, piercing it through and usually obliterating it."

Don slightly regretted that Tolan never used it in front of him but his explanation made Don look forward to using his own skill.

Don asked Rose and Tolan before they parted, "Will we ever see each other again?"

Rose answered, "Probably. We did work well together and now that you're a member of the church, you'll be assigned the occasional mission and we might run into each other then."

Don then said as if it he just remembered, "Oh yea, the egg is hatching in a week, wanna see it?"

Tolan shook his head, "No, we've got plenty of work ahead of us. I don't think I'll have much free time in Royal Road for the next month or so. Speaking of which, enjoy your Christmas."

They each said likewise before leaving. In the real world it was the first week of December and Christmas was around the corner. Don would have a lot of work at the electronics store for holiday shopping but his semester classes had ended and his finals were passed with mostly 'B's he had time to devote to Royal Road.

Although Rose and Tolan wouldn't be there, Don did invite all of the people on his friends list to the hatching. That of course amounted to four people. His sister and the gnome Bob were already on their way, and the Paladin Ramen would be there as well. The blacksmith, Smith, of course had refused for several reason, mostly because he just didn't want to go.

Don, still wearing a cloak that hid his his pretty boy elf face and now a sack that could fit a fridge, looked very odd walking down the mainstreet of the city. He heard several people say the word 'santa', followed by the remark, 'he's too thin.'

Don made his way to the library. Unfortunately he realized he had been overly optimistic. There wasn't a single book in the library that showed how to care for and raise a dragon. The only book that was slightly relevant was a book about known dragons. On the cover of the book was a majestic looking white dragon, the one Don recognized as Kay Bern, the ruler of the Thor Kingdom. After him was Dowl Saer, the green dragon who protected the Emerald Forest. Dune Reck, the earth dragon, Xenel, the gold, Fosphor, the scarlet, there were many known dragons in the lands of Versailles. Most of these had a set domain that they either ruled or protected, while some simply appeared randomly throughout history. Don was tempted to go look for one and ask how to raise a dragon, but there was a chance that in the presence of another of its kind, Don's hatchling would abandon Don in favor of being raised by dragon, regardless of how high his divine affinity was.

Don decided on Ranbull heights as the hatching location. It was far from any civilized area so if the dragon tried anything there would be no collateral damage, but it wasn't too difficult to get to, just out of the way. Ranbull heights was a highly elevated rocky area that was filled with cracks and seams. It had an assortment of monsters, but their level range was low and they wouldn't bother anyone unless provoked.

Three days after setting off, Don found his way to the town that was closest to Ranbull Heights, and was happy to see a familiar wagon parked outside the common Inn.

Don entered the Inn and saw a table filled with four girls and one red bearded gnome. Don recognized one of the girls as his sister and called out, "Sierra, Bob, I'm here."

Both looked over to Don, but neither met his eyes, they were of course drawn to the large sack he carried.

After looking over it thoroughly, his sister got off the table and rushed to hug her older brother. Although he always spent at least one weekend a month with his sister, this was the first time they had seen each other since being separated when he first logged into Royal Road.

Sierra asked, "Big brother, what level are you at?"

"I hit 243 after completing Lu's quest."

Sierra said, "Woah, you're catching up to me, I'm at level 298." Sierra then motioned the other girls in the table and said, "These are my friends, Jene, Howel, and Noch."

Sierra told Don before that her friends wanted to see a dragon, and since this was apparently the only dragon they knew that wouldn't hate humans, it should be safe.

Bob slowly walked up to Don and held out his hand, Don shook it vigorously and said, "Good to see you Bob."

The gnome smiled and said, "Likewise." He took another look at the sack and said, "I think I'm glad you opened that box and not me, that thing is too large to fit in my wagon."

Don considered this and said, "You can strap it to the roof."

Bob shook his head and said, "No, that's Oric's spot."

As if he just remembered, Don said, "Oh yea, you never told me that I needed a license to sell the artifacts I've made."

Bob looked confused for a second before saying, "What? Wait a minute, how high is your artificing level now?"

"Beginner 9, 12%." Don answered.

Bob said, "Wow, I didn't expect you to achieve so much so fast. I guess since we're on the subject, I should tell you that without a license, your artificing skill won't get above beginner level 10."

Don hadn't considered that but it made sense. Skills outside your class have limitations on mastery level. Don asked, "Will I be able to get a license?"

Bob looked a bit uneasy. "Well, yes and no. If you do it right, you can get a license, but if not, both of us will be in a lot of trouble."

Don said, "What do you mean?"

"Well, if it is discovered that I gave you the skill, I could lose my license and you'll never get yours. If you can hide it, then you can become the apprentice of a legitimate master. Afterwards he'll assign you a license if your skill in artificing shows promise."

From the way he said the last part, he didn't seem convinced it was possible to fool a master. Don thought about it for a moment and said, "I'll claim I learned artificing from Actos' journal."

This startled Bob like he had just seen a giant running straight for him. "Actos?! You would claim to be Actos' Apprentice?!"

"Not his apprentice, more of a student. No one but you and I know he still lives. Technically lives.. Actos already gave me a journal I could give to head of the artificing guild. I'll claim I learned everything I know only from it."

Bob remembered that the head of the artificing guild would do anything to get his hands on anything that belonged to Actos, so it could work. Bob said, "If you haggle right, you could get an apprenticeship to a good master along with whatever reward he'll offer in exchange for that journal."

Don nodded thoughtfully. That was one problem down.

The group discussed past adventures and traded secrets at the Inn table for a few hours, occasionally requesting food or drink from the Innkeeper. Before the sun set, the last member of the group showed up, the paladin Ramen. They rented rooms for the night and the next morning set off for Ranbull Heights.

Bob paid the Innkeeper to allow him to park his wagon in the large storage shed they had so he could leave without it. He took Oric of course and actually rode him like a horse. The automaton wolf forged of the purple metal, orichalcum, was in fact closer to the size of a horse than the size of a wolf. And with the padded seat that was built into the mount's back, it was a comfortable ride for the small gnome.

Don and Ramen talked about the church and the random tasks and assignments he could look forward to now that he was a disciple. It seemed that although most members of the church were priests and paladins, it was not all that uncommon for others who have demonstrated their faith to be invited to the church. Their roles are usually supporting for other groups who require more than paladins and priests to be successful.

Sierra and her friends were busy talking to Bob and fawning over Oric. It wasn't everyday you saw a gnome riding a giant robo-wolf and Bob who had spent years traveling throughout Versailles had many stories to share.

The trip to Ranbull Heights was uneventful and after two days they found a nice spot to camp. The egg would hatch the next morning and at this altitude and so far away from any cities or towns the stars would be as diamonds in the sky.

Ramen lead the story telling around the campfire.

"So, a few months ago myself and a few others were dispatched to investigate this sudden sickness that was spreading over this town in the south of the kingdom. It turns out that there was this Sorcerer doing all kinds of weird experiments. The side effects of which caused a buildup of this noxious gas that caused the sickness. Anyways, he had these freaky abomination that he created. There weren't like chimeras, stuff made from a fusion of a few other things, they were creepy looking monstrosities that would give you nightmares."

Some of the girls shuddered when he gave a detailed description of what they looked like.

"Anyways, the sorcerer turned out to be the son of the mayor of the town, his workshop was beneath the medical center, which is why the people being treated never got better. It was tricky but we were able to shut him down and even get him to administer an antidote to all the victims."

Sierra and her friends narrated a story of this maze like dungeon they got lost in for a week. Eventually they solved the secret of the maze, got a boat load of treasure and found their way out.

Bob shared a story about this group of merchants he once traveled with that got attacked by a famous band of thieves, but the merchants had hired some renown mercenary who defeated the thieve's leader in single combat and lead the other mercenaries to drive back the thieves. His description of the battles was intense and made the audience hang on his every word.

Don decided to go with the story of the dungeon he was dragged into back before he opened the the sealed box and got the dragon egg. Sierra laughed several times at how absurd the whole thing was and Don couldn't blame her.

They spent the night chatting and looking at the stars, and in the morning, Don took the egg out of the sack and let everyone see it. The egg was large enough for a single person to hold, but you couldn't wrap your arms around it. It was as white and smooth as ivory and had a beautiful sheen that seemed to glow in the sunlight. Don put his hand on it and said, "Identify."

Egg of the Holy Dragon Thessalanos.  
_This egg was created in the time before the races existed, before the gods descended on the world, before the time history was recorded. Since its creation it has laid dormant, unable to grow due to being bound. If not bound by ancient stone or wood it will grow until it is ready to hatch._  
_Note: Because this egg was created in the time before the non dragon races it will not possess a natural hated for them. In the moment it is born it will seek one who it recognizes has the right one to raise it. This will either be a dragon or someone with an outstandingly high divine affinity._  
_Time till the egg hatches: 2 Hours._

Don was so excited he had to restrain himself from jumping up and down repeatedly for two hours. It wasn't that he was shy to do so, it just wasn't very manly to be seen doing. He had been looking forward to this for some time, there were nights he dreamed about riding atop a white dragon and flying through the sky.

"Excuse me, do you have anything to eat?"

The entire group turned away from admiring the gleaming egg to see an old man with a walking stick who had somehow stumbled into the camp. Don had no idea how someone could end up out here without meaning to get there, but he did not forget his courtesies.

"Not at the moment, but Ramen had volunteered to make breakfast. You are more than welcomed to join us." Don said before turning to Ramen who nodded with a smile.

The old man looked over each person of the camp and said, "Why thank you young man. I am not a very good cook myself so it has been a while since I have tasted something that wasn't overcooked."

He stepped forward a few paces into the group before finding a spot to sit. "Oh where are my manners, my name is Stribog."

Don, still showing his best manners bowed his head lightly before introducing himself, and as if taking a cue of some kind, each person did likewise.

Stribog chuckled at the over the top mannerism and showed an old smile, the kind you'd expect to be given by a kindly grandpa. The man himself was short, not as short as Bob of course but he had the look of someone who had shrunk a few inches as he aged. His hair was white and his clothes were made of light fabric and if Don was any judge seemed to be of the mage variety, but Don couldn't figure out the material or the level requirements. He was tempted to use scan, but it would seem rude if he was caught.

Bob walked right up and sat next to Stribog. "So what brings you out here?"

Stribog said, "I'm meeting a few friends out here. They should be wandering around but I think they may have gotten lost themselves."

Stribog then looked up and said, "Actually, maybe I should have done this in the first place."

He pointed his finger into the air and said, "Growldackarr", rolling the 'r' as he said it. His finger glowed and shot a point of light into the air that left a sparkling trail. The point didn't travel very fast but it kept going higher and higher without coming back down.

Sierra's friend, the fire mage Noch said, "What spell was that? I didn't recognize it."

The way she said it implied she knew a great many spells and a encountering a spell she was unfamiliar with was a rare sight.

Stribog said, "A bit of ancient magic child. It costs more mana than normal spells but it happens to be what I specialize it."

Ramen said over a cooking pot, "Mr. Stribog, two questions. Did you just call your friends to come here and should I make more breakfast?"

Stribog raised his head in contemplation and said, "Well, I didn't want to ask, but if you have enough materials."

Ramen said, "Of course, we brought enough to feed a dr-"

"How many can we expect to come Mr. Stribog?" Don quickly interrupted Raman from finishing his last word.

"Four if they all decide to come." He answered politely.

Don asked, "Why did you choose to meet out here?"

Before the old man could answer Don heard a loud thud from across the camp. A tall, buff looking old man had jumped from a higher ledge down to where the camp was situated. He looked over the campers, let his eyes set on the egg for a moment, and then saw Stribog.

Stribog lifted his head to the man and said, "Gondel, good to see you made it old friend."

The man called Gondel looked apprehensively through the campers but seemed to relax a bit at how nonchalant Stribog seemed to be about the whole situation. He passed through the crowd and stood before the beach ball sized egg.

Don decided at that point that these guys weren't here by accident.

Ramen spoke up and said, "Breakfast is ready. Mr. Gondel, you're more than welcome to a portion."

Gondel didn't look at him but instead turn to Stribog, who completely ignored him and went to get a bowl.

The meal Ramen cooked was roasted beef in a light, refreshing sauce. Don smiled and had to struggle to keep from mentioning that someone named Ramen was a hell of a cook.

Stribog said, "Most delicious. Gondel, will you not be having a share?"

Gondel, who was now standing near a large rock and facing the egg said, "I ate before coming."

Don decided it was now or never and repeated his former question. "Mr. Stribog, why did you choose here, the Runbull Heights to meet each other?"

After setting aside his bowl, he said, "I didn't choose it, I simply came for that." He gestured to the egg. It was as Don feared.

The old man continued, "If you chose to come here to allow the egg to hatch away from civilization, I must thank you for that. You see my friends are not as tolerant of humans as I am." He motioned once again, but this time to Gondel who gave Don a slight sneer of disgust.

The other members of the camp had been listening since Stribog said he said he wanted the egg, and Sierra asked, "Wait a minute, are you not human?"

The old man shook his head, "No, dragons have the ability to take the form of any race they wish."

A chill went down Don's spine as the words Stribog spoke registered, and as far as Don could tell, the same chill was shared by everyone else.

Noch asked, "You... You're a ... Dragon?" Her words had a hint of both fear and curiosity.

"Yes child. I am a wind dragon. Unlike most of my brethren I travel as I please, going wherever the wind takes me."

Ramen looked over to Gondel but said nothing before looking at Stribog. Stribog understood the unasked question and said, "It is inappropriate for me to share information of another in their presence."

Three more people showed up, a large fat man, a slender gentleman, and a short kid with red hair.  
The kid came down first, looked around at everyone and said, "Stribog, long time no see, Gondel, you seem as grumpy as ever."

He then took a look at the egg, gave a polite bow to it and looked around at everyone before his eyes stopped at the kettle and the roasted meat.

He walked up to Ramen and said, "Human, give me some of that."

Ramen gave him a bowl and the kid ate the whole thing in two bites before saying, "Another."

Stribog said, "The kind paladin made enough for everyone. But before you empty the pot, you should check if anyone else wants some."

The kid looked at the fat and slender men but both shook their heads. The kid said, "Alright!"

It was an interesting sight to see a kid who appeared younger than Don's sister devouring a large pot of food in less than a minute. Don suspected that the only reason it took so long was because that was the limit of the size of a human mouth.

The kid then looked up to the face of the paladin for the first time and said, "Not bad." He then turned around and said, "Alright humans, "and to Don, "and elf, I'm Fosphor."

Don recognized the name. It was in the book of known dragons, Fosphor the scarlet dragon. Don noticed that the kid's hair was indeed the same shade of red as the scales of the paintings of Fosphor in the book.

The fact that Don was now surrounded by five dragons was not lost on him. Even though they did not emit fighting spirit or killing intent, once you knew they were dragons you felt the overwhelming pressure of their existence. Surrounded as they were, Don felt that breathing was harder, moving was more difficult, and fear strangled his nerves. Don looked through everyone else and knew he was not alone in this feeling.

Still, even with through the fear and pressure, he was with his sister, and he would not let himself display cowardice. Don steadied his breath, looked Stribog right in the eye and said, "You're not taking this egg from me."

At this point Gondel shouted, "You dare! I should rip your heart out for even looking upon the holy dragon's egg, and you dare lay claim over it?!"

His eyes morphed slightly back and forth between human pupils and dragon irises, as if his rage were so great he couldn't hold it and his false form at once.

The slender man stepped forward and said, "You will do no such thing. It was this elf who released and protected the egg in our absence. For that deed he will not be harmed, regardless of any transgressions he has made."

Then he turned to Don and gave a serious look before speaking both aloud and to him. "But that right does not extend to the others here. Hold your tongue or you will leave these lands on your own."

Another shiver of fear. Don could tell that this was not a threat but a fact. He was not personally threatening Don's friends but implying that if Gondel went wild, no one but Don himself would be spared.

Stribog held his hand up and said, "Settle down, these men and women have done nothing that deserves punishment. On the contrary, they have shown generosity through the sharing of food and foresight into the choosing of this location." He turned to Fosphor and said, "Killing, or allowing the one who freely gave food to you to die would be most dishonorable."

The redhead nodded slightly as if agreeing. Don hoped that meant if worse came to worse, his friends would be protected somewhat.

Stribog turned to Don then continued, "Anyways, it is not for you to say who will take the child. A dragon must raise a dragon. We have sensed this one's presence for some time, and knew today to be its time to hatch. To be honest we have been looking for it for a few days, but its presence was hard to sense. Only this morning did we feel the exact location."

That was the time Don had the egg in the sack, but he decided not to share this with them.

"Anyways, we appreciate you watching over the egg, but we cannot allow you to raise it. If it had hatched without any dragons around, it might have chosen you to raise it, but we could not have that. Which of course is why we came."

Don said, "May I ask why I cannot be allowed to raise it?"

The fat man stepped forth, "Are you an idiot? The holy dragon will grow to be perhaps the most powerful dragon there is. Should it be raised to turn against us, the dragon race is finished."

Don pouted at the logic. There was no way he could simply say that he would never do such a thing.

Stribog also added, "And just because the holy dragon can be raised by mortals, does not mean it should. I do not have a dragon's natural hatred or greed, but I still have a dragon's pride, and it won't allow such a thing."

"Look!" cried out Fosphor. The egg cracked. The tension had been so high Don had not even noticed that since the time Stribog arrived and now, two hours had passed.

The egg cracked again, louder this time. The crack spiraled around the egg.

Stribog got up and said, "There is another reason we had to come, Fosphor, if you would join me please."

Fosphor got up as well and they stood on opposite sides of the egg, opened their mouths, and shot fire out of their mouths continuously.

Don moved to get up when the tall, skinny one was suddenly in front of him and saying, "A dragon can hatch on its own in time, but there is a chance of it dying shortly after from the cold. By heating the egg as it hatches with dragon breath, the egg is warmed to an ideal temperature, ensuring a successful hatch and healthy child."

Considering how level headed this one was, Don wondered what kind of dragon he could be. The man wore a silk robe and had grey hair, but that told Don little as he couldn't think of any know or any dragons with grey scales.

A moment later the egg exploded and the shell turned to dust. Where the egg once was, there sat a small, white, fluffy dragon, with red colored tips at the ends of its wings and tail. Don at first thought he was seeing things. Dragons weren't fluffy. Then Don realized that it did not have scales like every other dragon he had seen pictures of in the library books, but feathers.

Sierra, Jene, Howel, and Noch spoke up at the same time and said the same thing. "Awwww, Cuuuuuute!"

The dragon was in fact adorable. Big eyes with a small red irises, large forehead, fluffy from head to toe, and about the size of Don's little sister's large plush bears. In fact this whole dragon would make an ideal plush toy without having to change a single thing.

The dragon yawned a bit before raising its head to look over at everyone. Don himself looked around to see each of the five dragons were focused intensely on the little fluff ball. He realized that they were waiting, that Thessalanos was choosing from among them who was fit to raise it.

Don turned back to see that the dragon was looking right at him. After a moment it got up and walked over to him before nuzzling Don's kneecap. Don looked down at it as it looked up at him and he got down on one knee and petted the holy dragon who seemed to smile.

Don heard a crackling sound behind him and turned to see that Gondel was coated in lightning and his form was now more scale than flesh. He was mad beyond all reason and couldn't hold his human form. Don realized he was about to be slaughtered.

Don turned to Stribog and said, "Can I raise Thessalanos if I promise not to train it to wipe out all dragons?" It was said weakly as that was all he could manage with his impending death on the way, but Stribog said nothing.

From above, a shadow blocked out the sun and descended on the group.

Everyone looked up to see a dragon the size of a large passenger plane float down and land on the ground. In an instant Gondel reigned back in his sanity and the crackling sound stopped.

The dragon looked through the group and said with a booming voice, "Who has the holy dragon chosen as her guardian?"

Don decided now was not the time to remain silent and stepped forward a few feet. "I am." As if to confirm his claim, the fluffy dragon followed him to stop at Don's feet."

The large dragon meet Don's eyes and looked hard for a moment. "I see. You have achieved a great connection to the divine, through it you are closer to the holy dragon than her own race."

After that he closed his eyes, looked down, and Don could swear he heard a sigh.

"But still, I can't believe she has more in common with an elf than with a dragon."

Gondel yelled, "Lord Sol, The holy dragon cannot be raised by anyone but a dragon!"

The large dragon said, "I had hoped that one of you would be chosen to be her guardian, but it seems that the choice is made. Gondel, Lord of Thunder, do you believe your judgment superior to the holy dragon?"

Gondel flitched at this but did not back down. "The holy dragon is a child who does not know any better."

Sol, shook his head and said, "Knowledge is not this issue. Choosing guardianship comes from instinct one is born with. Today, tomorrow, ten thousand years into the future, this child's instinct will not change, and will choose this elf over each of you time and time again."

Don said aloud, "So you're not taking her away?"

Sol looked down at the others and said, "No, it is her wish to stay with you. Now, Fosphor, Dune Reck, Gondel, Rothar, please leave us. By my order, you shall take no action to separate this elf and Thessalanos."

A few moments later and the great dragon Sol had taken human form and was talking in private to Stribog.

Thessalanos was in Don's lap sleeping when the two walked up to him, with Sol in the form of a young blonde man with flowing golden hair.

Sol said, "I suspect you know little of raising dragons, correct?" His voice was light and uplifting, the kind of voice that had authority but you didn't mind being ordered by it.

"Yessir. I did try to look but I couldn't find anything on the subject." Don answered.

Sol nodded and said, "Until she has grown a bit and learned a few things it would be dangerous for her to be taken back to civilization. You shall stay here in the Ranbull Heights with Stribog, who has offered his services to help you learn how to raise the holy dragon, until he deems her fit to blend into society."

Don bowed to both Sol and Stribog and said, "Thankyou very much."

Sol continued, "This is a very unusual situation. I must warn you that should being in your care cause any harm to befall Thessalanos, you will be taken to the deepest, darkest dungeon to live the remainder of your life in agony and torment."

Don stood straight up and nodded in understanding.

Sol nodded once, bowed a bit to the sleeping fluff ball in Don's lap and teleported away.

Don turned to Stribog and asked, "Who was that?"

Stribog smiled lightly and said, "The current dragon lord and mightiest of our race, the Sun Dragon Sol."


	21. Vol3 Ch1 The False Bard

Vol3 Ch1  
The False Bard

Don got home at about 6pm. He was working full time over winter break due to holiday shopping. A part of him wanted to switch to part time so he could play Royal Road more often, but money was not something he was in a position to turn away. For now he would have to be satisfied with what he had.

Shortly after 7pm he got into his capsule and logged in. He appeared at the campsite his sister and Bob helped him set up at Ranbull Heights. Waiting there was a short old man, his little sister, and another young girl, this one smaller and younger. Her apparent age looked to be about 11 or 12, her hair was white, with small red highlights at the tips of her bangs, and she had green eyes with gold flecks in them. She was adorable looking.

A few days prior, shortly after hatching, the wind Dragon Stribog was teaching Thessalanos the dragon skill polymorph, that would allow her to switch to whatever form she wanted. The little girl she turned into, had aspects of Don, his sister, and all three of his sister's friends. It wasn't that surprising considering that those five spent the most time with her, but the outer appearance looked like a slender human with pointed ears, basically someone who could easily pass for a half-elf child.

Sierra looked up to see Don had logged back in and said, "Thessa, big brother logged back in."

'Thessa,' short for Thessalanos, saw Don and ran over to hug him saying, "Big brother!"

Don, who was now wearing Thessa like a boot looked up to Sierra and said, "Big brother? What have you been teaching her?"

Stribog, the old man shaped dragon who was laying down heard Don's question and let out a tired sigh.

Sierra ignored it and said, "I told little sis the proper way to address you."

Don was about to complain when he saw the look in his sister eyes that she was not going to compromise in this.

He looked back over to Stribog who did in fact look tired. Not physically though, but mentally. Like someone who just spent six hours babysitting a hyperactive eight year old who had just gotten back from a birthday party.

Don asked Thessa, "Have you been getting along with Stribog?"

Thessa pouted and said, "Uncle keeps telling me the stuff I can't do."

Don looked back to Sierra and said, "Uncle?"

His little sister smiled mischievously, she knew exactly what she was doing.

Thessa's hair started turning into feathers and a moment later she had reverted to her dragon form. She had been larger each time Don saw her, and now her dragon form was larger than wolf. But she hadn't shifted on purpose. It took her a moment before she seemed to realize she wasn't disguised anymore.

Stribog sat up and said, "Lord Thessalanos, you must keep your concentration at all time or you won't be able to hold polymorph."

Thessa turned back into her 'half-elf' form and said, "Sorry uncle," with a slight look of regret.

She knew that above all, she needed to have better control over polymorph before she was allowed to leave Ranbull Heights with Don.

Don walked over to Stribog asked, "So how is she doing?"

Stribog seemed to recover some energy and said, "Thessalanos does fine when she puts her mind to it. The beasts that live here already fear her, which is only natural considering how many she has hunted."

Stribog looked up at Don and said, "You know I'm still uncomfortable with this."

Don said, "I know, your dragon pride won't let you allow a mortal to raise a dragon. I've been keeping away to let you raise her the best I could."

Stribog shook his head, "If only it were that easy. I'm starting to think that perhaps a larger reason for her strong familiarity with you was due your proximity to the egg as it grew.

Don said, "You mean because it absorbed so much mana from me as it grew that it was only natural to think of me as a parent?"

Stribog perked up when Don mentioned mana, and Don cringed inwardly that he may have revealed that he knew too much. Don was only able to know about the mana thing because he could see it, and normal people can't see mana.

"Yes, to put it bluntly." He replied.

Don asked, "How is her dragon magic coming along?"

"She has not used any yet, but she will. Soon I suspect. Dragon magic is something every dragon is born knowing, it is one of the oldest magics. Depending on whose version of history you believe, it could even be older than the gods who brought magic to the mortals of the world."

"I see." Don replied.

"Do you now?" Stribog gave Don a very serious look that sent a small chill down his spine. He continued. "Let me make something clear to you. You must never allow Thessalanos to use dragon magic of any kind in the presence of others. Dragon magic is very powerful, if anyone recognizes it, she will be in danger. This is a unique problem she faces because her guardian is a weak mortal."

Don protested, "So she can't be passed off as a mortal who knows dragon magic?"

"Dragon magic is not something mortals are meant to learn."

"But it can be learned, right?"

Stribog looked uneasy. "Yes, there have been dragons who have taught it to mortals."

"And how did that go?" Don asked,

The old man frowned and answered, "Bad. Even most dragons can get corrupted by their own power. A mortal with the power of a dragon is a thing to be feared."

Don figured from the way he said it that he had some personal experience with that. But his familiarity with Stribog was no where near high enough to ask about something like that. Still, he kept it in mind, it might make an interesting quest later.

Don took out his lute and started practicing. Thanks to some help from the Lute playing skill's auto-assist, he believed he had gotten proficient in a few songs. The song he was practicing now was an upbeat and calming song. In the first few days after hatching, Thessa would often cry or go on a dragon rampage for no reason at all. The only thing that seemed to work was music, so Don had to pick up the lute again and write a few songs that would calm her down.

The next day, Stribog came to Don and said, "The time has come for me to leave."

"What? Why?" Don asked.

"There is pressing business that requires my attention in the west. Being a wind dragon means I am not bound to any one spot, but that does not mean I have no responsibilities."

"Alright, are we free to go?"

"Yes, yes. I'll find you every once in a while to check on Thessalanos, until then."

Stribog said goodbye to Thessa and teleported away.

Sierra said, "Ahh, I hoped we'd at least get to see him fly away in dragon form."

With the exception of the gold and white sun dragon and Thessa of course, none of the others showed their dragon forms to Don and the rest.

Don asked his little sister, "So where you off to now?"

"Well, my party found a good hunting grounds so I should get back to them." Sierra's friends played with Thessa for a few days before they decided to leave. Sierra stayed to help babysit Thessa while Don was at work, but now Thessa could take care of herself when Don wasn't around so she wanted to get back to her own friends.

She asked Don, "Where you and Thessa going?"

"Bob said there was a city I could get an Artificer's license in the mountain range north of Aidern Kingdom. So I'll head there."

"Alright, be careful." Sierra hugged her brother then went over to hug Thessa. "See you later little sis, look out for big brother, ok?"

Thessa nodded and said, "Bye big sis."

With that they parted ways. Thessa was a bit sad at first, but as they got further and further from Ranbull Heights she got more and more excited by the new world that awaited her.

Don thought about his dreams of riding a majestic dragon through the skies and decided it was best to let the dream die. Thessa would probably let Don on her back to fly around when she was big enough, but even if she was ok with it, no one else would be. Riding a red and white fluff ball through the sky did not appeal to Don's manly nature. Plus he got a shiver of fear when he thought about what some of the other dragons would think if he rode Thessa. In retrospect he decided that his dreams may have been impractical.

But that brought up another point. Why didn't he give Thessa up? He couldn't fly with her, she wasn't allowed to use dragon magic, was there any point in keeping her around? Don didn't really have an answer, but if someone asked him why he had yet to switch from his dancer class to a manlier one, he didn't think he'd have an answer to that either.

"Hey Thessa." There was something Don wanted to ask her now that Stribog wasn't around.

The little looked up and said, "Yes big brother?"

"You are a dragon, uncle Stribog is a dragon. Why stay with me over him?"

Thessa look at Don for a moment before saying, "The air around big brother feels better."

"The air?"

"Yup."

The answer was not as insightful as he hoped, but it did clarify something. She had not chosen him because she thought he was her father, or big brother due to his high divine affinity. Though he wasn't sure if it was his affinity for the divine that made the air around him feel better to the holy dragon.

At the border of Aidern Kingdom was a small town that operated as a trading post. It was the first settlement Thessa had ever seen, and she was as excited as a kid in an amusement park. At first Don was a little worried that as a monster, she would not be allowed through the gates, but the guards made no attempt to stop her. Stribog had told Don that polymorph could not be detected so easily, but Don was still relieved.

However once Don entered the town, he realized he had made a grievous error. A group of three women saw Thessa and Don, who had been away from civilization for so long, he forgot to wear a hooded cloak to hide his face.

"Awwww.." The women spotted Thessa first, and her half-elf form was as cute as her dragon form was adorable. Then they saw Don, his charm and charisma were so high that his elven features almost glowed with elegance and beauty.

One of the women, the most elegant and beautiful of them said, "Why hello there. Is this child yours?"

Don's ability to talk to beautiful women had improved, slightly, since becoming a dancer. But to keep his composure he had to speak as little as possible.

"Not quite, half sister." He then rubbed her fluffy white hair and she giggled and moved his arm away. Don hoped her cuteness would distract them, and it worked, for the other two. But the elegant one didn't take her eyes off Don.

She said, "That so. Well my name is Astra, a merchant, what exactly is your class?"

Was she trying to invite him to a party? Don decided to lie once more and claim to be a worthless class. "I am just a simple bard. And my little sister has no class."

"A bard? Excellent. I'm traveling with a caravan heading east tomorrow. We have plenty of knights, archers, and mages, but no bards. If you accompany us, I'll make sure you're paid well."

Now Don just felt stupid. And the worst part was that not only did he need the money, but it was not manly to refuse a lady's request.

Don gave Astra a smile and said, "I see. Will there be any danger? I must keep my sister safe." Hopefully he would come off as weak and be rejected.

The women smiled and said, "You and your sister will be welcome to stay in the wagon with my friends and I. It will be well protected no matter what comes our way."

Again, Don had to refrain from biting his lip. He was pretty sure this person was a user, so he decided to play the part of a weak NPC. He thought to himself what would an NPC Bard with this appearance be like, and on the spot he made up a character.

"And your destination?" he asked.

"The caravan heads for fort Odin, but I will be heading for Boronis."

Don had to take another deep breath. He really wasn't used to women being interested in him.

"A shame. My destination is north. But I can accompany you to the capital crossroads." Don barely managed to say without stuttering.

Right now he was in the west edge of Aidern Kingdom. His destination was a city in the northern edge. The capital and the crossroads around it was about in the center of the kingdom. It was in fact faster to simply go northeast from here, but ever since the women said Thessa could ride on a wagon in the caravan, Don saw the glimmer of interest in her eyes, like when a child hears you are taking them to go get ice-cream. The worst of it was that either through form or practice, it looked almost identical to the look his sister uses on him, and he has trouble saying no to her.

The beautiful merchant said, "The caravan leaves at first light. If you like, you can share a room with me at the Inn."

The other women giggled a bit.

Don thought to himself with all his might, 'You're an NPC, you're an NPC, you're an NPC.' After barely composing himself, he said, "Thank you for the offer, but I'll be sharing a room with my sister." He was able to hide his shame behind a courteous smile.

The woman seemed to buy it, because she said, "I understand, see you in the morning."  
She left with the other two mumbling to themselves.

Don walked behind a building where he started gasping for air like he had been holding his breath the whole time.

"Brother, are you ok?" Thessa asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. You looking forward to the caravan?"

"Yeah!" She exclaimed.

"Well, first things first. Time to rent a room to sleep."

The town had two Inn, Don picked the cheaper one. Not just to save money, but to avoid those women for the night since Don figured they would pick the nicer one.

After renting a room, Thessa reverted back to her dragon form and curled up on the bed. Don never wasted time sleeping in Royal Road no matter how tired he got so he only got a one bed room with a large table to practice his artificing on.

Thessa watched for a while and asked, "Is brother doing magic?"

"Not exactly." Don turned around to see that Thessa was still watching him on the bed, but then he realized something odd.  
"Why do you think I'm doing magic?"  
From her position, she wouldn't be able to see the items on the table through his back, and most people who saw a heap of metal wouldn't assume magic.

"The mana over the table looks different."

She was right. The sygs that powered artificing changed the properties of the mana around them. Don asked, "You can see mana?"

She turned her head and said, "Yes. Brother can see it too, yes?"

"Well, yes. But most mortals can't."

"Oh. Ok." She settled down and kept watching, her eyes blinking shut every once in a while.

Don went back to tinkering, he wondered in the back of his head if all dragons could see mana or if it was just a holy dragon.

The next morning, Thessa's sleep was awoken by a knock on the door.

"Hello?" The voice was male, but Don heard the sound of him grasping the door handle.

"Thessa! Quick, change!" Don said both urgently and quietly. When it looked like she was too out of it to change, Don rushed to the door and said, "Yes?"

The door opened with Don just in time to block it from opening all the way.

The man said, "Oh good, the right room. You weren't at the Silver Inn so I had to look for you. My apologies, but the boss of the caravan wanted to have a word with you before we depart."

Don did his best to get back into character and said, "I see, then I'll meet with the boss shortly. Where shall I find him?"

The man said, "Well in the caravan. The boss has been making sure everything is ready for the past hour."

Don said, "Alright, I'll need a moment to pack my things," before closing the door.

Thessa was peering around drowsily, she had yet to fully awaken.

Don packed up the trinkets he had been playing with over the night and got Thessa to finally change to her half-elf form.

The pair left the Inn to see the overcast was cloudy. Don had strapped his lute to his back to get better into character rather than holding it his inventory.

The caravan itself was a long line of at least fifty wagons each packed with various goods. It was by far the largest Don had ever seen. Even Thessa who was still half asleep a moment ago perked up at the impressive site.

Don found a man loading crates onto a wagon and asked, "Excuse me sir, where can I find the boss?"

The man pointed to a hefty man who was talking to a petite woman. Don approached and was noticed by the woman who said, "One moment bard," before turning back to the man and saying, "You and your men are on thin ice. I'll have your word that this won't happen again or all or our contract ends here."

The man raised his hands in surrender and said, "Yea, yea, I'm sorry. I swear it won't happen again."

She rolled her eyes at his lackluster promise and sent him away. She then turned to Don and said, "Sorry about that. Some of the men under his charge got into a fight with another group. Having a hundred as guard is not as great as it sounds."

The woman looked Don over. Standing next to her, he was a full head taller. Then she noticed Thessa and said, "Hello there little girl."

Thessa frowned at the greeting. She didn't know it yet but her dragon's pride did not like to be addressed so casually. It was different for Sierra because she was Don's sister and Sierra's friends were ok because although they showed great affection towards Thessa, they were never disrespectful, but this woman was a stranger who had no right to do so.

Don noticed this and said, "She doesn't warm up to strangers well," before asking, "Are you the boss?"

The woman looked back up to Don and said, "Yeah, name's Ritz. My sister told me about you last night but I wanted to get a look at you before we set off. What songs do you play?"

Don froze for a moment when he realized what she was asking. There are dozens of famous songs that every bard knows in Royal Road. When a bard writes an amazing song, other bards often learn it and it spreads like wildfire through the continent. The songs themselves vary but are often written about well known stories or about people who have made a name for themselves. It is the songs themselves combined with the talent to play and sing them that make traveling bards and minstrels welcome company, but Don didn't know a single one.

Don got into character and said, "My apologies but the only songs I have are ones I've written. And I have yet to put any lyrics to them."

Ritz said, "Well then play one."

Don took the lute off his back and played one of Thessa's favorite melodies, a song he made up that generated the title, Soothing melody. It was made to calm her down whenever she threw a tantrum.

_You've heard Soothing Melody_  
_Health and mana regeneration increased by 15%_  
_Stamina regeneration increased 10% _  
_for 2 hours_  
_Does not stack with other songs_

Although the song lacked lyrics, Don didn't think it needed them. The song itself had several layers of rhythms and tunes that made good use of each of the fifteen strings on his lute. Don didn't think it was inferior to anything he heard on the internet, but the woman had a different opinion about it.

"Wow. I mean, wow. You're good. Most beautiful playing I've ever heard, and those effects. Wow." She shook her head and let out a laugh before asking, "Where did you learn to play like that?"

At first Don thought she was just being nice, but the laugh appeared genuine. Then Don realized that since learning to play, the only other person he had ever heard play any music in Royal Road was his instructor, a high grade reclusive master lutist. He had no idea how his playing measured up against an actual bard.

Don realized he still needed to answer the question so he said, "Learned it from an old woman deep in the south."

She nodded and said, "Well, the journey will be all the more pleasant with your music. My sisters and I are merchants if you didn't already know. Now you told my sister you can stay until the crossroads. We'll be there in seven days. Three gold a day fine?"

Don remembered when hunting barely earned him three silver a day. But with his current level and skills he could probably earn three gold a day if he found a good dungeon. But now that his god hunting days was over, finding a good dungeon was not an easy task. Three gold a day for playing a lute was an excellent wage.

"Most generous. I'll be happy to liven you caravan with my lute. My name is Don, and my little sister here is Thessa. Of course my acceptance is contingent on her accompaniment. There is room for both of us, yes?"

She smirked at Thessa and said, "Of course there will be room for the young lady."

Thessa blushed a bit at how transparent she had been, and quietly said, "Thankyou."

The boss showed the pair to a large wagon with cushioned seats enough to comfortably fit up to eight people that was in the middle of the few other passenger wagons and said, "These seats will be yours throughout the whole of the trip. If you leave them and take a walk they will still be yours." She then left to see to the other wagons.

Don decided that this felt very similar to waiting for an airplane to take off. He had already boarded and was waiting for everyone else to board before takeoff.

Thessa asked with a little excitement, "Big brother, are you gonna play for a week?"

Don answered, "Yes, it seems so."

"Yay," she exclaimed. She knew well enough by now that Don did not like playing the lute, but she loved it.

At first Don thought she just liked music, but now he was considering the merchant's reaction to his playing. Was he really that good? His sister liked it of course and even Stribog seemed to enjoy it, but Don never considered that he was better than an actual Bard.

Don listed the facts in his mind: The first was, that lutes, and thus lutists, are rare. Most bards use a harp, or at least something far simpler than a thirteen string lute. The lute's ability to create intricate, complex melodies would be unknown to most. Second was, that a normal bard, does not use music as the primary ingredient to a song. The music is the background for the lyrics of the song the bard sings, it is a tool to add emotion to them and make them more memorable. Without the lyrics, a bard's song would be simple, catchy, but not that impressive. Third was that Don actually learned to play his instrument before getting the skill to play it. If an actual bard got his skill upon getting the class and relied on the auto-assist to play, his music would be severely limited.

Don's songs which used his self taught skills to bring the sound of a lute to its full potential and was not held back by lyrics or even generalized form, fell into a category all their own. At least for a bard in Royal Road.

Don decided that it was possible, just possible, that his music playing skill might not be inferior to any bard in Royal Road. Although his music would probably lose out to a skilled bard who possessed a great singing voice, it wasn't bad. And as long as he knew he wasn't the worst musician in Royal Road, it wasn't as unmanly to play.

To demonstrate his newfound appreciation for his own hard earned skills, he took the lute out himself and started playing a happy song that could put anyone in high spirits.

As dawn approached, Don's confidence in his playing increased, a little bit, with each compliment he received from the people walking by. By the time the sun could be seen over the road towards their destination, Don saw a familiar trio walk towards his coach. Astra from the previous night and her two friends sat opposite Don's seat, and Don had a serious moment of hesitation about the whole ordeal.

"Hello again," said the merchant. Don decided that, if nothing else, he would use this week to master the art of pretending to be an NPC, that was impervious to both flirtation and seduction. But even as he thought that he shuddered inwardly, and hoped the women hadn't noticed.

Astra asked, "Is our wagon to your liking? I'm sorry if it is a bit crowded, but I assure you, it was the only unassigned seats in the caravan. Besides, I promise you're in the best of company."

Don said, "Thankyou," while pretending to be charmed to mask how uncomfortable he was.

If he had a choice he would rather sit with the boss. She too had fine looks, but her clothing was was not tailored to show it off. When it came to beautiful women who dressed to impress, Don had a history of making a fool of himself. A bad experience getting publicly humiliated by a beautiful girl in high school left him with something of a psychological tick that made him freeze up when trying to flirt or even talk to someone who was trying flirt with him. He was amazed he had already gone this long without making a fool of himself, and elected to remain in his NPC mindset for the rest of the trip.

The clouds were looming overhead. It hadn't started raining yet, but Ritz had already put tarps and roofs over all the wagons that needed it so Don didn't need to worry about getting wet. The hundred some hired guards walking along the caravan were not so lucky.

Don had been playing a variant of his melody of the wind, it had attained a wind property that allowed the wind to carry it well even if it was harshly blowing. He had also been thinking, mostly about new artificing ideas. He always forgot to ask Bob how he made the sound of his double flute carry over great distances. Don assumed it was through artificing, but he didn't know what sygs or combination of sygs that had that effect.

While thinking of artificing, Don tended to naturally concentrate his eyes to see mana, even when he wasn't actually artificing. It helped him think and come up with new ideas. He also enjoyed seeing the world in a way others did not. He saw the mana that naturally flowed out of people. More flowed out of mages and high level characters than did average folk. Don looked around the guard company and saw about two dozen people with above average mana flow, meaning they were either high levels or mages. Possibly a high level mage.

Don looked up to the sky and stopped playing his lute. The women to Astra's left asked, "What's wrong?" before looking up at the clouds. Don ignored her question. Of course she couldn't see it, but it was not something he had ever seen either. Hanging in the clouds above the caravan was a spider web of flowing mana, going in and out of the clouds like a stitching needle.

Don turned to Thessa and asked, "Do you see that?"

She looked up to what Don was pointing at and said, "Uh huh. Pretty." Then her eyes lost focus for a moment before regaining it. She continued, "Three circle weather manipulation magic, Thunder Cloud."

Don asked, "What?"

She answered, "That's what it is. I just know."

Don could guess how she knew it, but what he couldn't guess, was why someone was using magic to cast a thunder cloud over the caravan. Don saw no mana connecting anyone from the caravan to the cloud so he didn't think it was being cast by someone there.

Astra, who was barely following Don's conversation with Thessa spoke up after her friend was ignored the first time.

"Excuse me, but what is going on?" The question was asked both politely and insistently.

Don looked at her and said, "Someone, someone not in this caravan is using magic to make a thunder cloud overhead."

She looked shock, but it did seem that she believed him.

Don asked, "What's wrong?"

She looked nervous for a moment before masking it. "Well, these roads are quite dangerous these days. There are rumors of a large bandit gang. But that is why guards were hired."

Don replied, "Guard parties of this size are usually for deterrents, but if someone wanting trouble is causing this storm, then they have not been deterred."

The woman nodded in understanding and moved her hands a bit in something Don knew to be the opening of a whisper menu. She began speaking but Don couldn't hear her. A moment later she asked Don, "My sister wants to know how you know the cloud is being cast."

Don had no intention of revealing his own secrets or those of Thessa, so he told her, "The sound of the thunder is wrong. My sister and I are good with sound."

Since he was posing as a bard, it made sense that he would have a sound related sensing skill. She seemed to buy it.

After some more whispering she said, "Alright, until something happens we'll keep going, but the captains of all the guards will be put on high alert."

Don started playing the lute again, but mostly for appearance sake and for Thessa. She didn't get worried easily but she noticed when Don was.

Don kept his mana sight on the whole time, and an hour later, he saw threads of mana extending up from a hill over the horizon. He stopped playing again and said aloud, "It's time."

Astra nodded and started whispering. A few moments later Don saw sparks of mana shooting off from various groups, people who were using skills and buffs to gain strength before the coming conflict.

Don turned to Thessa and said, "There is gonna be a big fight soon, can you stay in the carriage for me?"

Thessa said, "I can't fight?"

Don said, "You remember what uncle Stribog said."

Thessa said, "Ok, but can I watch?" She had some excitement in her voice. She had hunted before but never had she witnessed a large battle.

Don said, "Of course."

As he answered, a dozen lightning bolts came down from the clouds, and proceeded to turn completely away from the caravan towards a cloaked mage. Don saw the ground beneath the mage glow, though he didn't know if it was from the lightning's energy or mana. Either way, it was obvious the mage was acting as a lightning rod, protecting the convoy from the cloud above.

With the lightning acting as the signal, dozens of arrows shot from around the grounds. Heads were ducked and shields were raised, The sound of thuds and spells resounded. Shouts were heard and men were seen running over the hill, pouring down like a colony of ants.

It was moments before the two forces clashed, and Don started hearing music. It was something that happened every once in a while ever since Don started composing his own songs. The music always fit the emotion of the environment, and at the moment it was an exciting, heart pounding music that would fill the soul with an urge to battle. Usually Don ignored it when he heard the sound of nature as he called it, but at the moment he was posing as a weak bard so he couldn't fight or even use any battle dances to strengthen the guards.

Don relaxed his hands and strummed experimentally as mages from both sides started casting their spells. He found the right chords and without delay he started playing.

Swords rang against shields and fire balls burst, shouting and crying filled the battlefield, but through all of it could be heard a single melody. The combatants started to unconsciously match their strikes and blocks to the rhythm of the music, and thus to each other. This was inconvenient for the ambushers as they relied on surprise to disrupt the caravan guard's movement, thus giving the guards the advantage in the long run.

Ding*

_You have composed a song. _  
_The Sound of Battle_  
_This song illustrates the fury and bravery of those who fight with their lives on the line._

_Special Effects:_  
_Allies who hear this song will have increased morale and courage for the next two hours._  
_Does not stack with other songs._  
_Number of songs composed: 7_

_Lute Playing has reached level 8_  
_This allows you to play more difficult music._

_- Fame + 50_  
_- Charisma + 3_  
_- Leadership + 5_

It took about five minutes for the ambushing party to realize that Don's music prolonged the battle and mounted disadvantages against them. Orders were shouted and arrows were fired straight at Don.

Don quickly moved his lute so it wouldn't get struck, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid the arrows himself.

"Big Brother!" he heard Thessa shout behind him.

Don felt a small shiver of fear. Not from the archers. He took half a dozen arrows to his body and still had most of his life, he hadn't even needed to stop playing. The source of this fear came from behind him.

Thessalanos started muttering. No one could hear it under the sound of Don's lute and the battle, but Don was listening for it, and heard it was not human sound.

The thunderhead above the battle flashed repeatedly in a blinding glow. Don stopped playing and saw threads of mana shooting from Thessa into the cloud. Moments later lightning struck, over and over and over again. Some bent towards the mage who acted as a lightning rod, but most scoured the field. There were simply too many to redirect.

When the lightning stopped, most everyone, Don included, was relatively blind. Moans from the injured could be heard over the field, and as everyone regained their sight, a scene of carnage was revealed. Dozens of black marks covered the ground, within each was a few dead bodies of friends and foes alike. The area around the lines of wagons was untouched, but outside it, at least a third of all combatants were dead.

Don had no doubt about the cause of the devastation. He plucked the arrows out of his chest and legs before turning around and embracing Thessa. He softly said, "Thessa, what have you done?"

She sobbed a bit, and Don saw her hair slowly turn into feathers, he then said, "No, it's alright, I'm alright, you're alright. Calm down." Her hair returned. Don looked to his side to see that the women were still blinking, they were still a little blind so they saw nothing.

Astra said aloud, "Don, you alive?"

"And well," he answered. "Your sister?"

"She's fine too, she saw you get hit."

"No problems here."

The people of the battlefield slowly started to rise. A few of them started running away. Don assumed they were surviving bandits. A few arrows flew after them but the blinded archers missed their marks.

Priests who had stayed in the wagons got out and started healing the wounded. A passing priest cast healing hand on Don as well. Don made sure his lute was alright and started playing the music he used to make Thessa calm down, not only for her, but for the camp since it helped others heal.

_You've heard Soothing Melody_  
_Health and mana regeneration increased by 15%_  
_Stamina regeneration increased 10% _  
_for 2 hours_  
_Does not stack with other songs_

After a quarter of an hour, Ritz showed up. "Hey Don, you and Thessa alright?"

Don answered while continuing to play, "No problems here. How's the caravan?"

She sighed. "Decent. Since we were prepared the battle wasn't too bad, but that last lightning shower was too much. No one here is claiming credit for that and since I see no murderer marks on anyone I'm pretty sure it was some crazed guy in the bandit group."

Thessalanos was a named monster, and since she had killed friend and foe alike, she should have her name glow red above her head like a field boss would. But a dragon's polymorph skill can hide even that so she was in no danger of being discovered.

Ritz continued, "And you. You, my friend were impressive. All the mercs are talking about you. Some of them were saying that was the most fun they ever had during a battle."

Don said, "I just provided some background music."

"You did a bit more than that. The captains of the guards knew it was you who alerted everyone, so the sound of you playing even in the midst of battle gave them confidence, which spread from them to their subordinates." She smiled at him and went back to checking the others. The caravan was back on the road within an hour of the first lightning bolt that started the battle.

Don asked the women he sat across, "Think we'll run into more trouble?"

She shook her head. "No. Those guy work on surprise and ambush, neither worked on us and they've lost three times the number we have. It should be smooth sailings from here on out."

Don didn't get his hopes up.


	22. Vol3 Ch2 The Way of the Dragon

Vol3ch2 Way of the Dragon

Over the course of a single week, the caravan Don accompanied was attacked three times. The first attack was an ambush by a raid party of bandits. The second and third were unlucky encounters with herds of monsters that happen to be passing by. Don was assured that such bad luck was very rare, but he was still glad to see the crossroads and capital city come into sight.

"Don," said Astra, the merchant he had been sitting across from for the past week. "Will you be leaving immediately or will you spend some time in the city?"

Don originally planned on leaving as soon as he could, but when he saw the look on Thessa's face as she spotted the grandeur of the capital, he knew he couldn't just leave.

"Thessa and I will explore the city for a bit, then we'll be leaving for the north." Don answered.

She had yet to ask, but when Thessa hear Don say they could explore the city for a while she beamed and hugged him.

Astra said, "Well, we will be staying at the Windrider's Inn. Should you choose to stay the night, there will be a free room waiting for you."

Don figured as much. The caravan had stopped every night at an Inn to allow the drivers and such a good rest, something Don appreciated because Thessa's skill level for polymorph was still too low for her to be able to maintain her disguise while sleeping. And although Don had been given a room free of charge each time, occasionally Astra would use the time to get to know Don, or the NPC equivalent of get to know, she was trying to bring up her familiarity with him. The only thing she did bring up though, was Don's experience in making up lies on the spot.

When the caravan reached the city gates, Don got off and Ritz was there to meet him. She handed him a purse of coin and said, "Here you are. For your help in defending the caravan, I threw in a bit more. 35 gold for a week's work isn't bad right? If you ever need full time work, we have offices in most cities in these kingdoms." She left with a wink, something Don responded with a smile, though he didn't know if it was his own or his NPC mask.

Don took Thessa on a tour of the city. She had never seen one before, and although Don had never been to this one, he had been to enough to know the general layout. He took her to the marketplace where he bought them both treats at a sweet shop.

Next they went to a tailor where Don told Thessa to look around and see what designs she liked. Don himself was faced with a problem. While playing the part of an NPC, he felt that his clothes weren't good enough for a bard that looked like that. If he was to play that part again, he would need better clothes for it. This rose the question of whether or not to buy a better cloak for himself and Thessa to avoid attention or buy something to attract attention. He decided to buy both. Avoiding attention was useful in some instances while attracting it was useful in others. When Thessa showed Don a dress she liked, Don bought four of them, two for her, two for him to dissect. It had been a while since his tailoring skill had gone up a level, and at six, he was only two away from getting the handicraft skill so he wanted to make both of their clothes from now on. The price totaled 8 gold, 76 silver, and 22 copper for four dresses, one large and one small cloak, two minstrel appropriate suits, and a large amount of fabric.

Don wore the suit and Thessa wore her dress and they continued on. As they were passing an armory, Don wondered if it would be a good idea for Thessa to use a weapon. In dragon form even without dragon magic her physical stats were high enough to deal lethal damage with her fangs and claws. Using polymorph however lowered her physical stats. They were a bit higher than an average half-elf, but without her magic she was relatively defenseless. Don thought it might be a good idea to get her a way to fight without magic, just in case.

Don walked up to the man in the counter and said, "Excuse me, but could my little sister try out some of your weapons? If she finds one she like I'll buy it." It wasn't a premiere armory so even if she chose to most expensive one it would only cost 22 gold.

The counterman shrugged and said, "Sure."

He plucked a rapier off the shelf and handed it to Thessa saying, "This is about your size, give it a few swings."

She swung the blade experimentally a few times but said, "No, I don't like it."

The man rolled his eyes, took it and handed her a heavier long sword, like the ones Don used. He probably expected her to struggle with it, but she swung it as easily as she did the rapier. Even as a young half-elf, her level was still 103 from all the monsters she'd hunted in Ranbull Heights. Don asked, "How is it?"

Thessa shook her head, "No."

Next was a short axe, but she said it didn't feel right while swinging it. Then was a short bow. She notched an arrow and fired at a small target, almost dead center, something the astounded both the shopkeeper and Don, but she said no to that as well. After that was a small mace, but although she could swing it as well as any barbarian, she said it didn't feel right either.

Last was a knife, she swung it a few times, reversed her grip, and swung it a few more. She tried a few other things with it and said, "This one is ok."

Don smiled and asked the man to show all his knives. Thessa picked one that had a short white handle that made it easier to grasp and a slightly curved blade. The stats of the knife were shown below it.

_Ivory Razor_  
_Durability 40/40_  
_Damage 16-20_  
_This knife was sharpened to the finest edge on an hilt made of animal bone._

_Requirements:_  
_Level 30, Strength 50_  
_Effects:_  
_Increases the chance of scoring a critical hit._  
_Price:17 Gold_

Don smiled, the durability was low but the price was good. Don bought it and a sheath that came with it so Thessa could wear it around her waist. He would get her a better one later when he had the money to do so.

After they left, Don asked, "Why a knife over the rest?"

Thessa answered, "Because it is just like using my own claws."

Don thought about it and figured that she was comparing the use of the weapons to her own natural weapons: claws, teeth, and breath. When Don took another look, the knife did indeed have the look of a long claw.

"If we're in the company of other people and a fight breaks out, you can use that, ok?"

Thessa nodded. Don was tempted to get advice from his sister. Her class was Scarlet assassin, she wore distracting dresses and used knives, so she could show Thessa a thing or two. But then Don remembered that Thessa and Sierra had hunted together in Ranbull Heights when Don wasn't around.

"Thessa, did you see Sierra fight with knives?"

"Big sis? Yea, we played a lot. I remember."

Don wondered just how much she remembered. She had never used a bow, axe, or mace before, but she had seen mercenaries use them during the battles on the way to the cities. Was that how she knew how to use them? A sword, axe, or mace was one thing, but knowing how to fire a bow just by seeing an archer fight was a different matter. Maybe it was just something she inherently knew, like how she could recognize spells by looking at them. It was something to think about while walking.

Don took her through the main streets before spotting the local church of Leu. As it appeared around the corner Don took in a breath. It was the largest he had ever seen, and he had seen quite a few. Even Thessa seemed amazed by the size of the thing. Don figured the church was like that because it was the capital city of the kingdom.

Don asked, "Want to go inside?"

"Can we?" She asked excitedly.

"I think so."

Don walked up to the massive door where three paladins stood guard. Don said, "Can I show my little sister inside?"

One of the paladins smiled at Thessa, her cuteness had that effect on people, but he said, "Sorry, but only representatives and members of the church may enter."

Don smiled and said, "Not a problem then, I recently became a member of the church of Leu."

Another paladin looked at Don and after a moment said, "You seem to be telling the truth. Do you have business in this church?"

Don said, "Nope. Just wanted to pay my respects to Leu and show this one around."

The paladin said, "Alright," before opening the door.

Don and Thessa walked inside, Don bent down to tell her, "Thessa, the god who runs this church really helped me out before you hatched. Also, he can see and hear everything in this place, so if you want to say something to him you can do so. Come on."

Don looked up to the statue and said, "Leu, this is Thessa, Thessa, this is Leu."

Thessa looked at the big statue and said, "Thankyou for helping big brother." Don smiled, hopefully he had let them give good impressions of each other. Don showed her around a bit and said hi to a few priests and paladins. After getting a good look they left. Don thought he may get stuck with a church quest but for now at least it seemed that they didn't need him.

Next Don took Thessa to eat. They found a large restaurant that smelled good enough to make Thessa drool but wasn't overpriced. It served Barbecue basted in an smoky, tangy sauce. By the time they left, the bill had reached 5 gold, 23 silver, which was impressive considering a full rack of ribs was only 28 silver there. It wasn't enough to completely fill up Thessa's stomach, but any more and it would've attracted attention.

Still, the pair left satisfied. Although they had a free room waiting for them at another Inn, Don got a room at a cheap on the other side of the city to spend the night. It wasn't that he was completely avoiding Astra, but he felt a strong foreboding that for the last night they spent under one roof, she would be insistent on, 'increasing her familiarity with Don.' He didn't know how to tell a woman she wasn't his type. Ritz on the other hand was a different story, but she seemed more interested in using Don as a tool.

Thessa curled up in the large bed In her dragon form and went to sleep. Don was going over the old Actos journals he had been given. One was an old journal the artificer had written in his youth, the second was a more recent one filled with ideas Don couldn't even play with until his artificing had reached intermediate. Since he was going to give the older one away to gain favor from an artificer NPC, he wanted to memorize all the interesting tidbits.

The next morning they set out for the north. To make up for time they decided to head straight north instead of following the winding road through hills and around forests. Most people would need a compass to do such a thing but Don instinctively knew which direction was north whenever he saw the sky, day or night, as long as it wasn't covered. The path would be more dangerous but Thessa had been itching for a fight since gaining dragon magic.

It took less than an hour of off road travel to encounter some opponents. A pack of lizard knights, level 120 mobs spotted the pair and ran to attack. Don told Thesa that she had to keep her half-elf form while fighting since polymorph hid her dragon aura. In the presence of a dragon, even a young one, most monsters run away. Polymorph suppresses it, so unless the opponent has high sensitivity to such things, they won't know they are already doomed.

Thessa waited for the dozen or so mobs to get closer, before muttering something. Don had his mana sight on to see it. Threads of mana shot towards the lizard men and started spiraling. An instant later a frigid wind blew at the knights and threw them off there feet. When it died down, the lizard knights were covered in several inches of ice. Don knocked it experimentally, it was as hard as rock. "Thessa, can you melt this? Don't want to leave evidence."

"Ok." She spoke some more dragon magic and the ice melted. The lizard knights were dead.

They found a few other random mobs wondering around and Thessa tried something different each time. Lightning for the wolves, fireballs for the kobloids, earth spike for a troll, it didn't take Don long to realize she was using the same spell for each though. Seemed to be an elemental command spell. She never tried the Lightning Shower spell she used before, she told Don that she wasn't experienced enough to use it properly.

"Ok Thessa, new plan. From now on when we meet weak mobs, use your knife. When you get really good with it I'll get you a better one."

"Do I have to?" She was disappointed because as a dragon her magic, immature as it was, could go head to head with opponents whose level was much higher than her own. Fighting enemies with her 'mortal' physical stats would be much, much slower. It was the difference between the speed of a bird flying through the sky compared to the speed of the same bird walking on the ground while wearing weights.

"Yes Thessa. I know you want to explore the world, make new friends, and have fun right?"

"Yes!"

"Then you have to master blending in with mortals. Mortals get stronger the hard way. So if you do as well, you'll know a lot more about them. Remember what Uncle said? The power of dragon magic can corrupt even dragons. I would never forgive myself if you became corrupt." After that Don hugged Thessa for emphasis on how much he cared about her and added, "There is nothing wrong with practicing your dragon magic for when you need it but if you mastered another way of fighting you would not have to rely on it."

Thessa sniffled and said, "ok big brother. I promise I won't become bad."

Thessa didn't use dragon magic for the rest of the day, she fought using the knife while Don watched her back. The pair camped outside and found a good spot away from the roads but close to monsters for Don to log out for his work week.

Four days, two Royal Road weeks later, Don logged back in and Thessa had gained two levels without using dragon magic. For an ordinary character that might not sound impressive, but dragons require exponentially more experience points to reach each level than any other species. Although a level 103 dragon can use its magic to kill 30 level 150~200 soldiers in a single spell, it might not gain a single level for it.

When they reached the forest just south of the mountains, Thessa stopped walking and said, "Big brother. There is something. Something over there. It's wrong."

She was pointing through the forest, Don had no idea what she was talking about but he went with it anyways. "What do you want to do?" He asked.

"It can't be here. Have to remove it." She spoke uncomfortably, like she didn't like what she was saying.

Don said, "If it has to be done, lead the way."

She nodded and lead Don through the forest. After two hours of walking they came to an old shack, long abandoned.

"It's close. It can't be here." She lead Don into the shack, but nothing was there. She looked around but without finding anything, grew more and more upset.

Don used detect, and the room glowed for a bit. A panel on the wood flooring shimmered, and Don opened the secret hatch.

A black mist oozed out of the space, Don's hand came into contact with it, and it started to grow cold.

_You have been infected by Dark Corruption _  
_Corrupted areas will act against your will. _  
_Upon complete corruption, your body will act as a servant of evil._

The coldness started to spread down his arm, he no longer had feeling in his hand, but it started to open and clench on its own. Don felt fear greater than when he had been surrounded by dragons, as the cold reached his shoulder.

"Brother, no! Rorllerck Crestditrick Escorrol Do!"

Don's body glowed with warm, white light.

_Holy Protection_  
_Immunity to unholy curses_  
_Resistance to black magic increased by 30%_  
_For 20 minutes._

The cold feeling rescinded and after a moment he could wiggle his fingers again. The black mist was still hovering around the cellar door, it did not go further than a foot past it.

"Are you ok brother?" Thessa asked.

"Yes, thanks to you. Is this the stuff that shouldn't be here?"

"No, it is down there." She looked worried, but not for herself.

Don wasn't going to let another worry about him so he said, "Alright then, let's go." And walked into the cellar.

The black mist was hard to see through but it didn't affect him, and as long as it didn't take longer than twenty minutes he was fine. Don opened his inventory and took out a sunlight rod. It absorbed sunlight and could release it. Don used it as a flashlight, the bright light pierced the dark mist and showed some of the details of the room. The cellar was not a dungeon entrance as Don first thought it might be, but a study of some sorts. At one end Don found a dead man. At the table in front of him was a journal, and in his bony fingers was a knife. Don suspected he knew how the man died.

From the stairs down into the basement came Thessa, she was slightly glowing, and could be easily seen through the black mist even without the light. She looked around and pointed in the back. "That!"

Don could barely hear her, like the mist muffled sound as if the words had been spoken underwater. Still Don saw what it was she pointed at. It was a corner of the study that was darker than the rest of the area. Don pointed his flashlight at it and on the table reflected a small object. When he got closer he saw it was a black shard. Don wasn't sure if he should touch it, but he had already come this far. He touched it and nothing happened. The protection spell was still working. Don used Identify.

_Fragment of the Dark plane_  
_Durability 89/200_  
_A piece of a world that destroyed itself long ago. It carries with it energy that drives destruction and has the potential to destroy this plane._

_Requirements:_  
_Unholy Chaotic Alignment_  
_Penalty for using without requirement is complete corruption_  
_Options:_  
_If applied to a weapon, damage weapon deals will cause dark corruption. Corrupted beings will follow the weapon owner's orders if the requirements are met._

"Wow, that's really evil. What now?" Don asked Thessa.

She stared at it and her hair turned to feathers as she gained her dragon form. "I need to destroy it."

Don placed the shard in the middle of the floor of the study and Thessa started breathing white fire on it. Her dragon breath dealt both fire and holy damage. It took about five minutes but the shard finally burnt out and turned to dust.

Thessa collapsed from exhaustion. The black mist slowly dissipated and in under a minute was completely gone. Don asked, "Feel better?"

Thessa nodded. "Uh huh. Lots. I just, I had to."

Don said, "You don't need to explain yourself. Stribog told me that most dragons dislike foul things. He said that as a holy dragon, you are especially sensitive to these, and will feel certain compulsions. This was one of them."

Thessa looked worried, an unknown urge to do something was scary to someone so young, especially if they didn't understand it themselves.

Don put his arm around Thessa and said, "Don't worry. I saw what that thing was. You were right, it didn't belong in this world. It was good that you destroyed it."

Besides the fact that it comforted the holy dragon, Don said it because it was true. The more he thought about it, the more terrifying the shard seemed. What if a dark mage equipped it to his magic staff and cast an area of effect spell that damaged a large group? There were spells that could hit hundreds of people, a single wicked person could've used that thing to build a massive army of corrupted beings, man and monster overnight. Don was pretty sure protection spells of holy dragon level were not common, and without such a defense, an army of corrupted lead by a corrupter would be unstoppable.

Don had some questions he needed answered, so he took the dead man's journal on his way out and left the cursed shack.

They continued north through the forest and made camp when they saw the mountain come over the horizon. They would reach the city in a few hours, but elected to do so when well rested. Thessa slept in a tent so even if someone came across the campsite they wouldn't see a sleeping dragon, and Don read the journal he had taken from the shack. It was the log of an archeologist.

As the sun rose rose over the mountain range that extended all the way west, Thessa came out of the tent in her cloak. They went to the last city as tourist, this one required a more subtle approach, especially for outsiders.

Don lead the way to the mountain side and followed it till they found the path marked by a sign.

-Greyfell ahead

The path lead to a massive gateway dug into the face of the mountain. It's stone door was open wide, the tunnel inside was lit by dozens of lamps. Don and Thessa walked through a few hundred meters to the end, and saw the enormous, underground city that extended in every direction and lit by star like spheres that hung from the ceiling. Thessa was wide eyed and speechless, Don likewise.

"It's beautiful." Thessa said aloud.

A short man walked up to the pair and said, "Thankyou. Welcome to the city of Greyfell."

Don turned to the gnome and said, "Thankyou. It is truly a pleasure to be here." before bowing graciously.

The gnome looked stunned then let out a loud laugh. "Hahaha, a polite elf you are. So what brings you to this fine city?"

Don decided that this guy was not an NPC, so he answered frankly. "Well I'm here to get an artificer's license."

This surprised the gnome more than the pleasant greeting. "Ohh, that right? Well getting one isn't so easy. Are you looking to be an artificer?"

"No, I got a class that keeps me stimulated. I just want the license. Are you an artificer?"

"No, no. Trust me, when you see an artificer around here, you'll know." Then he let out another round of laughter, like he knew an inside joke that Don hadn't been let it on.

Don saw that the gnome's clothes were nondescript robes that could be worn by any class. He knew a great deal about Royal Road and thought about all the common classes for gnomes and which one this guy was. He considered that fact that he completely avoided the last question without giving his class.

"I see, you're a thief then?"

The gnome let out another laugh. "Ha, you bet I am." He didn't seem to mind that he had been caught trying to get close to and pickpocket a tourist.

Don said, "Sorry but I'm broke. Besides, my most valuable treasure isn't in my inventory. She's right here."

Don rubbed Thessa's head and she giggled.

Don asked, "So why do you hang out here?"

The gnome answered, "Plenty of reasons. The main one being this is where people go to find me. Everyone knows I'm here, and if they find a dungeon that needs a skilled trapbuster, they can pick me up as they leave. And as I wait between jobs, I can greet the visitors and lighten the heavier pockets."

It sounded to Don like good business strategy. Don said, "That's cool. I think I'm gonna be here awhile. I'll look for you if I find a good dungeon."

The gnome laughed again. He was a very free-spirited fellow and seemed to like how easy going Don was. "Sounds good, I'll keep an eye out for ya."

Don and Thessa left the little man. As Don rounded a corner he checked his inventory, just to make sure. Now that he had given Leu's Essence back, Thessa's egg hatched, and his moonlight swords had been broken beyond repair, he really didn't have any valuables left in his inventory. But that didn't mean he had nothing important.

Don let out a relieved breath when he saw that the artificing journals were still there, and nothing else was missing.

Don and Thessa explored a bit. The shops included part stores for artificers, ingredient stores for alchemists, even book stores that sold magic spells.

Now he wanted to see Luthur, the head of the Artificing guild in Greyfell. Several months prior, Don found a map to the hall of Actos, the workshop of a great artificer. Upon acquiring the map, he automatically received a side quest, one that did not count towards the three quest limit, to find any information on Actos and bring it to Luthur.

The Artificing guild was a massive tower that almost reached the top of the cavern. All along the sides of it were giant gears that slowly spun, as if the whole building were an enormous clockwork machine. Don wanted to take a closer look inside, but the guards at the door stopped him. Two armored gnomes blocked the path, one said, "What business do you have inside?"

Don said, "I wish to see Luthur, the head of the guild."

"Why?" one of them asked. The other said, "The head is a busy man, you're not like to see him."

"I see. Is the head's offer still valid?" Don asked.

"What offer?"

"The offer to reward anyone who brings information about Actos."

This caught them off guard. One said, "I doubt you have anything the head doesn't already know."

The other said, "But if you think you do, tell us and we'll check it out."

Don rolled his eyes, it wouldn't be that easy to claim credit for what he had on him. "Well, I have Actos's old journal."

"What?!" One exclaimed, "Let me see!" said the other.

Don said, "I'll let Luthur see it and no one else. Is he in?''

They looked at each other, then back to Don. One opened the door and lead Don in followed by Thessa.

"Take a seat, I'll speak to the Head about this."

The gnome went to a small steel cage next to the stairs and threw a lever. The cage rose and was gone. A few minutes later it was back, and the gnome said, "Alright, go on up. Third floor, first office on the right."

Don and Thessa went up the stairs. Thessa was behaving herself since Don promised her a present later, so she didn't say anything or wander off on her own.

Don knocked on the door to the room, but no one answered. A moment later, from the hall behind him, came a gnome with a thick leather overcoat with half a dozen pockets, small black burns on the tips of his fingers, smoke coming off a singed piece of hair, and goggles over his eyes that had several lenses that could be clicked into place over the eyes for different levels of magnification to use when necessary.

Suddenly Don got the joke the theif had been laughing at. 'Trust me, when you see an artificer around here, you'll know.'

The gnome walked up to Don and said, "Hello, I'm Luthur, did you really find Actos's journal?"

Don said, "Yes, would you like to see?"

"Oh yes!" He exclaimed, happy as a school boy. He rushed past Don and Thessa to open the door to his office and let the two in.

He sat down and Don got two normal sized chairs out for himself and Thessa. Don took out the journal and said, "Now I hope it is alright that I've read the contents."

He looked confused for a second and asked "Why would that be a problem?"

Don didn't answer but set Actos's old journal on the table. Luthur opened it and examined the inner cover where Actos had his signature. He then flipped through a few pages, closed the book and said, "Yes, without a doubt, this was done in his hand. Where did you get it?"

Don had been considering this lie for a while and said, "A bookstore in Thor Kingdom. found it in an old trunk. None of the other books inside the trunk had any relation to artificing. I asked the store owner and she said the trunk was sold to the store long ago, a dead man's collection to be sure."

Luthur nodded and said, "I see. Well I am still indebted to you for bringing this. The ideas are a bit outdated, but Actos's blueprints have always proved highly efficient. I have little doubt that studying these will help improve artificing as a whole."

Don wondered how artificing as a whole would change if he gave him Actos's recent journal, but the robo-gnome implied it would be better if Don used it solely for himself, at least for now.

Luthur continued, "You came because you wish for the reward, yes?" If Don did, then the gnome knew he would get the journal for sure.

Don said, "Yes, though what I have in mind for a reward may not be what you were thinking, but it is easily within your power to give."

"Ohh, do tell."

"Well, I am not an artificer."

Luthur blinked, "You're not?"

"No, but I did learn the skill from making a few things in that book. I would like a license so I can sell what I've made and get above the beginner level."

The gnome considered this for a moment before saying, "Can I see something you've made?"

Don took out the sunlight rod. The blueprint he based it off was in the old journal on the table so he wasn't being inconsistent with his stories.

"Hmm, you want to sell these?"

"No, I want to sell these." Don took out the rings he made that boosted stats at the cost of life.

"Ohh, I've never seen a syg like this." The gnome was referring to the blood empower syg.

Don took out his statue of an Artificer and said, "Use Identify on this."

He did so, and said, "Ohh. Is it ok if I write this down?" Don figured anyone with the Artifice skill would get knowledge on the syg if they used Identify, like Don had on the statue.

"Is it ok if I get a license?" Don made it ultimatum time.

Luthur said, "Hmm, regardless of the skill you come here possessing, I can't just hand you a license."

Don said, "I'm aware. If apprenticing another is what it takes, I'll gladly do so."

Luthur looked relieved. "Oh, in that case, we can work something out. I must admit this is usual. Outsiders are not taught the artificing skill till after apprenticeship is gained, but we can make an exception for you. Was that what you had in mind in exchange for this?"

Don smiled, "Yes, and one other thing, well two, but it is something easily within your grasp to obtain."

Don took out a slip of paper, it was a diagram of a certain design that was in the journal as well as some parameters.

"Two of those. Apprenticeship and two of those, and the book is yours. I'll throw in free use of Blood Empower to play with as you please."

Luthur looked over the paper thoroughly before smiling. "I see. This is no ordinary request, but such a price is nothing compared to what you offer. Something close to this came out a few years ago. I always keep a few in my shop to play with, they just need a few modifications to fit these parameters. Please wait here this won't take long."

The small gnome left the room, and ten minutes later, returned with a box. "Here you are, exactly as you specified. Also, I insist you take this as well, for the effort you took to bring this book to me."

_Quest Complete: Actos' Legacy_  
_You have delivered information about Actos to the head of the artificing guild_  
_You received 1200 gold_  
_You received 2 modified Dragon's Breath_  
_You have leveled up!_  
_You have leveled up!_  
_Familiarity with members of the Artificer's guild has increased._

Don had forgotten that the quest to get the journal was 'C' rank so it gave him plenty of experience even after all this time. It was also a good payday, he had been just about broke for a while now.

Luthur said, "I'll find someone who is willing to take an interesting apprentice later today. Come back to the guild tomorrow and it will be done."

Luthur thanked Don again and Don likewise before they shook hands and parted. When Don and Thessa left the guild, Don told her. "You were very good, so here is your present."

Don handed her the box. She opened it, revealing two magic guns.

_Dragon's Breath_  
_Durability 90/90_  
_Attack 30-37_  
_Range 10_  
_Firing rate-20 shots a minute_

_The most popular model magic gun from the RX series. The model boasts the highest degree of optional customization of any magic gun on the market._

_Requirements_  
_Level 100, INT 220_

_Custom_  
_Attack and firing rate changes with different cartridge types._  
_Elemental type can be changed by an artificer._

Don said, "You liked the knife because it was like your claws right? Well as the name suggests, these are like dragon breath. With these and your knife, you'll have access to close range and long range attacks." Don pointed to different parts of them and showed her how they worked.

Thessa looked over the pair of guns. The handle of the second had an additional modification the first didn't of having a left handed grip, this would allow for the dual wielding of both guns simultaneously.

Thessa picked one up, pointed it into the air and pulled the trigger. A ball of fire shot out at rapid speed and hit the roof before bursting. She looked excited and said, "I love them! Thank you big bro!"

Don smiled. He couldn't wait to see her reaction when she saw what those guns could really do.


End file.
